319 Project Funding
Montana Department of Environmental Quality
Through the 319 Project Program, DEQ provides approximately $1,000,000 each year to local watershed groups, conservation districts, educational institutions, and government entities to design and implement on-the-ground projects that reduce and prevent nonpoint source pollution. Increasingly, DEQ is focusing funding on projects that will restore natural processes (e.g., stream channel migration, floodplain connectivity, native riparian revegetation) and are likely to result in measurable improvements in water quality.
Funding Source: The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under Section 319(h) of the Federal Clean Water Act.
Applicant Eligibility:
- Be a governmental entity or a nonprofit organization. A governmental entity is a local, state, or federal organization that has been established and authorized by law. Nonprofit organizations are identified as having a tax-exempt declaration of 501(c)(3) from the Internal Revenue Service.
- Be registered with the Montana Secretary of State to do business in the state of Montana.
- Have the necessary liability insurance, and be in compliance with the Workers Compensation Act.
Total Funding Available: Approximately $1,000,000. A 40 percent cost share (match) is required. The match must be from non-federal sources (state, local, private), and may include in-kind donations of time and resources contributed to completion of the project. Use the following formula to calculate the amount of non-federal match required for your project: ((319 dollars requested)/.60) – (319 dollars requested) = required non-federal match
There are separate applications for each pool of funding below.
Funding Distribution:
$500K to projects located within the Lower Gallatin Focus Watershed.
$500K, plus any unallocated funds from the Focus Watershed, to on-the-ground projects and mini-grant programs elsewhere in Montana.
Focus Watershed Projects and General On-the-Ground Projects
Recommended Range for Funding Requests: $10,000-$250,000
Mini-Grant Programs
Recommended Range for Funding Requests: $30,000-$60,000
