Last Call for Applications – Ohio Watershed Groups Eligible for Grant Funding

Enbridge Gas Ohio and Western Reserve Land Conservancy collaborate with grant program offering funds to Ohio organizations working to improve water quality.

Applications are now open for the Watershed Mini Grants Program—a program created in 2015 through a collaboration between Enbridge Gas Ohio (formerly Dominion Energy Ohio) and Western Reserve Land Conservancy that seeks to decrease financial burdens for local watershed groups working to reduce pollution in the region’s rivers, lakes, and streams. Working watershed groups located within the state of Ohio, in a county served by both the Land Conservancy and Enbridge Gas Ohio, are invited to submit proposals by Tuesday, September 30, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.

“For more than 10 years, Enbridge Gas Ohio has worked with Western Reserve Land Conservancy to support the health of Ohio’s precious natural resources. We’ll continue to invest in these types of projects through the launch of our Fueling Futures corporate citizenship program. The Watershed Mini Grant Program is just one of the ways Enbridge Gas Ohio will keep underpinning sustainability projects in our service area,” said Rusty Harris, Vice President & General Manager, Enbridge Gas North Carolina and Ohio.

It is vital to protect our watersheds as we face continued problems like habitat degradation and nonpoint source pollution. The quality of our water is affected by alterations to the land—mining, roadways, agriculture, urban development, deforestation, and the everyday activities of people within a watershed. Watershed groups provide an important service to their larger communities by recognizing potential threats, devising plans, taking corrective actions, and educating the public.

Funding is frequently a challenge for these groups, which often operate with a skeleton staff on very limited budgets. Since Enbridge and the Land Conservancy partnered to create the grant program, it has provided needed resources that empower watershed groups to continue promoting and maintaining the health of Ohio watersheds.  

“We are excited to partner with Enbridge Gas Ohio to support the important and innovative work of watershed groups across the state,” said Rich Cochran, President and CEO of the Land Conservancy. “Ohio’s watershed groups are critical to protecting the health of Ohio’s freshwater resources. Enbridge recognizes the important role that corporations can play in supporting the work of local organizations to build clean and healthy communities.”

Proposals will be accepted from working watershed groups only, and must be based in one of the following counties: Allen, Ashland, Ashtabula, Auglaize, Belmont, Carroll, Columbiana, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Guernsey, Hardin, Harrison, Holmes, Huron, Jefferson, Knox, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Mercer, Monroe, Muskingum, Noble, Ottawa, Paulding, Portage, Putnam, Sandusky, Shelby, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Van Wert, Washington, Wayne, and Wood. Only projects and/or project components that are not yet completed are eligible to apply.

There are three grant categories:

• Marketing, Promotions, and Outreach (maximum request amount $1,500): Grant funds for marketing, promotions, and outreach may be used for materials needed to raise awareness for the work of the watershed group. This could include: flyers, brochures, web development, advertisements, hands-on educational materials, etc. Grant funds may not be used to cover salaries or staff costs. Grant recipients will be required to submit copies of marketing, promotions, and outreach materials created with grant funds as part of the final report and report on the number of pieces produced and how they were distributed.
• Healthy Watershed Projects (maximum request amount $2,500): Grant funds may be used to cover specific restoration or water quality project expenses. Special consideration will be given in this category for proposals that involve partnerships or volunteers to complete important projects such as tree plantings, stream restorations, and river clean-ups. Priority will be given to projects where the majority of grants funds are used to purchase project supplies or materials, i.e., tools, trees, shrubs, shovels, bags, gloves, etc.
• Spotlight Project (maximum request amount $5,000): One special grant award will be made in support of a larger water quality or restoration project. To be considered, the project must include at least 10% matching funds. Higher match amounts will be viewed more favorably. Partner and volunteer time, cash, in-kind, donated materials, etc. may be used as match.

As Ohio’s largest land trust, Western Reserve Land Conservancy is passionate about supporting organizations with similar missions and values. The Land Conservancy is excited to offer these grants once again, thanks to tremendous support from Enbridge Gas Ohio and the Enbridge Charitable Foundation. Through this program the Land Conservancy hopes to foster long lasting relationships with working watershed groups across the state of Ohio.

For additional information about the Enbridge Watershed Mini Grant Program, please visit: https://wrlandconservancy.org/watershedminigrants2025