VFTCB Reminds about Schuylkill River Greenways Grant Application Window for 2023 Restoration Fund

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part of the Schuylkill River Greenways
Image via iStock.

The Schuylkill River Greenways annually awards hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant money to private and government organizations that work to improve conditions in the Schuylkill River watershed.

The 2022 awardees included:

  • The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary
  • Neighborhood Gardens Trust
  • Lehigh County Conservation District

These projects, encompassing five Phila.-area counties, improve not only the Schuylkill River but also the entirety of the watershed and the communities it serves.

Government and nonprofit agencies are invited to submit a letter of intent through Schuylkill River Greenways’ website to compete for funding of 2023 projects in the Schuylkill River watershed.

That window opens Feb. 6 at 4 PM and closes April 13 at 4 PM.

The Schuylkill River Restoration Fund provides grants to government agencies and nonprofit organizations for projects that improve the quality of water in the watershed.

The grants focus on three major sources of pollution:

  • Storm water run-off
  • Agricultural pollution
  • Abandoned mine drainage

The multifaceted appeal of Montgomery County’s waterways is one of the reasons the Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board supports this annual call for requests.

According to 2012 data from the Schuylkill River National Heritage Area, the five counties through which the waterway passes gained the following benefits:

  • $589.9 million in economic impact
  • 6,154 jobs
  • $37.7 million in tax revenue

The Schulykill River traverses Montgomery County in a east-west ribbon that winds its way from Bala Cynwyd to Pottstown.

The fund was created in 2006 through a unique public-private partnership among:

  • Exelon Nuclear
  • The Delaware River Basin Commission
  • The Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area

Since being established in 2006, the fund has distributed more than $5 million — and leveraged another $5 million — for projects that protect and restore the Schuylkill River. Those data are from a TrippUmbach (Pittsburgh) study.

Yearly grant awards total over $300,000.

Information about previous grant awards and details about the application process can be found at the website of the Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area.

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The Schuykill River Greenways National Heritage Area organizes an annual sojourn in which paddlers traverse its course over seven days.

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