Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) 2027 Organizational Support Projects is a genuine competitive financial-assistance grant round released November 6, 2026 and administered with NEIWPCC. Its purpose is to strengthen the long-term effectiveness and operational capacity of organizations protecting water quality and aquatic ecosystems in the Lake Champlain watershed. Projects may benefit the U.S. or Québec parts of the basin, but applicant eligibility is limited to the organizational types described below.
Individual applicant funding: Grants of up to $20,000 per organization; one proposal per eligible organization. The estimated $275,000 overall program pool is not an individual award. Partial awards are possible. Deadline: January 7, 2027 at 5:00 p.m. via Foundant; the controlling RFP does not state a time zone. Decisions are expected March 2027, followed by a detailed workplan in April and anticipated June 2027 project starts, subject to a signed agreement.
Who may apply: Nonprofit organizations located and working in the Lake Champlain basin whose missions expressly address Lake Champlain watershed water quality or aquatic ecosystem health; and New York Soil and Water Conservation Districts or Vermont Natural Resource Conservation Districts operating within the basin. Federal, state and local government agencies, academic institutions, for-profit companies, other nonprofits without the required watershed mission, and people involved in drafting or reviewing the RFP are ineligible. Current LCBP contract holders must be in good standing.
Eligible uses: Organizational management and capacity, including bookkeeping/GIS/database software, computers and office equipment, strategic and board development, staff or volunteer training, volunteer/membership recruitment and grant-writing capacity. New program delivery and general public education/outreach belong in other LCBP grant categories. Fundraising, development planning, lobbying, land purchase, endowments, hazardous waste remediation, marketing, and food or beverage purchases are excluded. Direct project personnel, equipment, travel, supplies, and authorized subcontracted services may be budgeted. Indirect expenses are subject to the RFP’s current NICRA or de minimis rules.
Matching, payments, and compliance: No cash or in-kind match is required; optional match may help competitiveness. Awards are governed by an approved project workplan and contract, and payment is for fully completed approved tasks, with invoices and certain receipts. Quarterly progress reporting, final outputs and standardized metrics are expected. A quality assurance project plan may be required for any environmental data work. Recipients need a federal Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), subrecipient risk assessment documentation, and appropriate insurance. Work may not start before an executed agreement.
How to apply: Review the complete 12-page official November 6, 2026 RFP and embedded application question preview. Create or use a Foundant application portal account (including organization/EIN information), select the 2027 Organizational Support competition, supply the required narrative, workplan, budget and other documentation, and submit through Foundant by the deadline. Email submissions are not accepted. See the LCBP live opportunities page for amendments and webinar instructions.