BEF Model Watershed Grants

The BEF Model Watershed Grant Program supports science-based watershed restoration initiatives that demonstrate strong community engagement and strive to implement a long-term and monitoring-intensive restoration approach.  For select Model Watersheds, BEF commits to provide financial and scientific support for monitoring, evaluation, and assessment over a 10-year period.

Program Details

• BEF seeks to establish 10-year watershed restoration partnerships with community-based organizations that:
  • Demonstrate extensive community support for watershed restoration;
  • Establish and utilize a strong scientific basis to prioritize and guide restoration action;
  • Apply a restoration approach that addresses ecological processes and the biological requirements of native fish across entire watershed ecosystems; and
  • Commit to monitor and evaluate outcomes and base future restoration planning and action on measured results.

• BEF has no specific matching funds requirement.  However, the Foundation will establish 10-year Model Watershed partnerships only where there are opportunities to leverage substantial long-term support for restoration and monitoring.

• At this time, BEF seeks to establish Model Watershed partnerships in the Pacific Northwest states of Idaho, Oregon, Montana, and Washington.

• BEF does not provide support for short-term and/or project-specific watershed restoration, assessment, or monitoring projects.

BEF accepts letters of inquiry on an open basis, and there is no official cycle for the review and solicitation of proposed Model Watershed Projects.

We invite candidates that share our desire to establish long-term, monitoring-intensive, and results-based restoration programs to submit a 2-3 page letter of inquiry or contact:

• To download Model Watershed Grant Criteria, please click here (a PDF document).