Buzzards Bay Watershed Infrastructure and CCMP Support Grant Program FY2027

The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), through the Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program (NEP) in the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM), requests proposals for the FY27 Buzzards Bay Watershed Infrastructure and CCMP Grant Support Program - Round 5. Projects must implement a recommendation or recommendations in the Buzzards Bay Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) and be principally located within the Buzzards Bay Watershed.

The NEP provides financial and technical resources to municipalities for projects that help meet the NEP's goals to protect and restore water quality and living resources in Buzzards Bay and its surrounding watershed as described in the CCMP. The **$748,001** in funds for this solicitation are federal and provided in accordance with Cooperative Agreement 4T-00A01647-0 with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

This solicitation is open to all municipalities within the Buzzards Bay Watershed.

Eligible projects include:

• Feasibility, assessment, and design of stormwater facilities to treat, eliminate, or reduce discharges to impaired surface waters.
• Construction of stormwater facilities to treat, eliminate, or reduce the volume of polluted discharges affecting surface waters.
• Support for tasks to achieve Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) compliance (other than required routine maintenance).
• Retrofits to enhance nutrient removal from municipal wastewater treatment facilities using innovative or unconventional approaches and community scale wastewater treatment facilities to reduce nutrient loading.
• Restoration of wetlands, habitat, and migratory fish passage.
• Construction of a boat pump-out facility in a municipality or harbor when none exists.
• Creation of, or participation in, online reporting systems for tracking and testing the operation, maintenance, and monitoring of innovative and alternative septic systems.
• Projects that, through direct action (other than routine maintenance or replacement of existing infrastructure), mitigate or restore coastal waters, or freshwaters, adversely affected by nutrient loading (nitrogen and phosphorus pollution) or bacteria pollution.
• Permanent land preservation through direct acquisition or conservation restrictions.
• Other activities in support of the CCMP and compatible with IIJA funding.

For all projects where signage is planned, signage must acknowledge that funding was provided by the Buzzards Bay NEP, EEA, and the U.S. EPA. Any press releases, articles, informational brochures, etc. about the project should also acknowledge the NEP funding and U.S. EPA IIJA funding as provided in grant award terms and conditions.

Municipalities may have non-municipal partners, but the municipality must be the applicant and the recipient of grant funds. Municipalities may subcontract or disburse funds to their partners according to municipal requirements and policies.

**Application Deadline:** Tuesday, December 8, 2026, by **5:00 PM**. Only electronic submissions through the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Grant Management System online application form and document upload tool will be accepted for this grant opportunity. Applicants are **required** to establish a profile in the Grant Management System and apply through the portal.

We anticipate **$748,001** in federal funds will be available through this solicitation and that approximately three to six projects will be selected for funding. Eligible municipalities may submit multiple applications but may only receive a maximum of two (2) grant awards not to exceed **$400,000**. No single grant award may exceed **$375,000**.

Funding Categories 1-8 are higher priorities under this RFP and will receive 2 bonus points in the reviewer gradings (see reviewer scoring sheet in Attachment D).

**Match Requirement:** No match is required.

The contract period will begin on the date that EEA signs the contract (anticipated February 2027). Contracts are expected to last for approximately 11 months with a contract end date of December 31, 2027. If there are no constraints to the source funds, and at the sole discretion of EEA, contracts may be written or extended to June 30, 2028.