Verified September 23, 2026. Kentucky Waterways Alliance (KWA) is accepting applications for its 2027-2029 Watershed Seed Grant program, supported in part by U.S. EPA Clean Water Act Section 319(h) funding. The program supports local, watershed-scale projects that address nonpoint source pollution and protect or restore Kentucky rivers, streams, and watersheds across all seven major river basins.
Funding
Applicants may request up to $4,500 per project. KWA may make partial awards. The current guidelines do not publish a universal match or cost-share requirement.
Eligibility
All Kentucky communities are encouraged to apply. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, alliances, fiscally sponsored groups, and other organizations proposing a qualifying nonpoint-source-pollution project. For-profit businesses are not eligible. Priority is given to groups with annual operating budgets of $750,000 or less.
Allowable project examples and restrictions
Examples include stream cleanups, tree plantings, educational signage, educational water festivals, water-quality sampling, rain gardens, rain barrels, and other beneficial activities and best management practices addressing nonpoint source pollution. Current EPA-linked restrictions prohibit promotional merchandise, food and beverages, entertainment, research, faculty salaries, and development of college-credit courses or tuition. For state- or basin-wide organizations, at least one local letter of support should be included because projects are expected to operate at a local watershed scale.
Deadline and submission
Applications opened September 1, 2026 and are due by November 4, 2026 at 11:59 PM by email to Laura Gregory, KWA Watershed Program Director. The deadline is described as hard, with no extensions. The current public page and guidelines do not state the deadline time zone, so applicant-specific ORIGINAL outreach remains on verification hold until that ambiguity is resolved.
Project period and payment
Approved expenses may be incurred from February 2027, after execution of the grant agreement, through March 2029. KWA states that 50% of funds are distributed upon award agreement, 25% after an approved mid-project report and supporting documentation, and 25% after final project completion, report, and supporting documentation.
Atlas fit
Atlas Opportunity Score: 72/100. N9+ Fit: 0/100. QC Healthcare Fit: 0/100. This is a legitimate Kentucky community and environmental grant opportunity, but the controlling materials do not establish a defensible healthcare-technology, remote physical examination, telehealth, or clinical-device use case. Do not introduce N9+ in ordinary outreach.
Verification hold and next action
Before applicant-specific package production or ORIGINAL outreach, verify the controlling deadline time zone, review the current application form for all required fields and attachments, confirm applicant eligibility and a credible local NPS project, and clear verified business Contact, Email_Opt_Out, permanent-bounce, Account/Contact/Deal/Atlas_Email_Queue, authoritative send-history, and cross-lane deduplication gates. Do not infer email addresses.