No, the grant timeline is flexible, although if you expect for a project to take more than 2-3 years for installation, consider phasing the project and making future requests for future phases. It is our intention that this will be an annual opportunity. Additionally, establishment and maintenance period can fall outside of the grant project period. It will be monitored by annual inspections by SMP staff.

If you plan to request 100% project funding, then we want you to make the case for how your project is going to explicitly benefit an identified risk area. But if you are working from a plan, say, a parks plan that has been approved and contains your specific priorities, it is still perfectly eligible for this program, and we want you to pursue your highest priority projects. It may just mean you request 50% or 75% funding, or whatever the amount is that will help your project move forward.

Given that we are funding non-structural, nature-based solutions, we are not requiring any sophisticated modeling or calculations. We may apply some simple load reduction calculations on our end to gauge cost-effectiveness, but this is a low-tech approach by design. 

If you are working from an existing plan that contains project priorities, use and provide what you have already developed. Characterize the benefits, as you understand them, in as simple a way as possible. What you submit needs to be actionable and should be in a form that can guide your work.  

If you want to use this program to meet an MS4 requirement – say, for a public engagement activity where residents plant trees in a riparian area – you can mention that. But this program is not at all limited to fulfilling MS4 requirements. 

While we haven’t finalized a scoring sheet, our priorities for project selection will consider: 

• Alignment with SMP watershed management plans.
• Potential for water quality improvement/stormwater runoff reduction. 
• Multiple benefits of ecological function and resilience, public benefit/access/educational value, heat island abatement, protection/enhancement/connection of highest ecological value areas. 
• Cost-effectiveness, leveraging of other sources of funding, volunteer, support. 
• Likelihood of long-term success. 

Yes. This is a departure from previous eligibility for SMP funding, so the answer is yes, but we will be working through a new process that will take some additional effort. There will need to be an agreement in place with the property owner guaranteeing access for establishment, maintenance and ongoing monitoring through an established lifetime of the project. The details will be negotiated and contained in the contract that is ultimately enacted with the applicant.  

This can also be negotiated as part of a contract, depending on a project timeline. For example, if the request is for a tree planting that will happen in fall 2026 and be completed within a year, we will likely ask for a final report with an invoice upon project completion. If it is a several year period, we will ask for more periodic reporting, and if an applicant requests an advance, we will also likely ask for periodic (semi-annual or annual) reporting. 

Technically yes. However, if this is what you will be applying for, please schedule a meeting prior to submitting, as there will be parameters for this type of project. The bar is high and will need to accomplish multiple benefits – the property would need to have high ecological value or potential for restoration, and likely provide connectivity with current trail system, and be identified in existing plans as high priority for acquisition/preservation.  

Growing community engagement is a priority for us, so that will be considered favorably. 

We have designated $1.5 million for this initiative, which is the same amount as has been available in previous years, and gone largely unspent. We anticipate that there may be funding available for the second round. The reason for the early deadline is that we know there are shovel-ready projects that can be completed in 2026, and we want those projects to move forward. 

A few examples locally include privately owned wetlands that are publicly accessible. They need rehabilitation to restore full function and to recover the water quality benefits. Those are great examples of the intent of the program, but there could be others. Private land owners who may be open to riparian buffer expansion or installing a wetland may be eligible. We want to capture community benefits wherever possible.