What We Fund
We consider opportunities to:
- Fund scientific research and analysis to provide information on water quality.
- Advance policies and practices that accelerate, strengthen, or expand public and private watershed protection.
Our goal is to better understand the baseline data, progress over time, emerging threats, policies, and practices that can advance private and public watershed-protection efforts, with an emphasis on protection of forests; reduction of agricultural run-off and polluted stormwater; and protection of critical aquifers. To accomplish this, we consider funding for:
- Research, baseline mapping, and data analysis that will be made publicly accessible and can be inform programs and policy options used to advance targeted research and advocacy.
- Research on and analysis of innovative policies and practices with the potential to significantly affect water quality.
- Science- and data-driven monitoring programs.
- Science- and data-driven public and policymaker education efforts about campaigns, including targeted advocacy for effective federal, state, and regional policies and practices that promote protection or restoration of watershed resources.
What We Do Not Fund
- Work that is not grounded in credible science or other relevant data.
- Work with primary impact outside of the Delaware watershed.
Funding will not be considered to any organization that discriminates on the basis of race, ethnicity, creed, gender, or sexual orientation in policy or practice.
Evaluating Proposals and Grants
How do we select grantees?
Selections are based on the potential for a proposed project to significantly improve water quality in the Delaware River watershed, as well as an applicant’s capacity to implement the proposed work, secure desired outcomes, measure change and progress, and contribute to collaborative or cooperative efforts with other key stakeholders.
How do we measure success?
We assess the success of the watershed-wide strategy in the near-term by monitoring progress toward the adoption and implementation of policies and practices that address key stressors to protect or restore water resources, and over the long-term by measuring indicators of watershed health, such as land cover, biological, chemical and environmental metrics, and stream regulatory status.