205(j) WQ Management Planning Grant

Fiscal Year 2025 205j Grant RFP

Pursuant to Section 205(j)/604(b) of the Clean Water Act, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Division of Water Resources is seeking proposals for water quality planning projects using federal fiscal year 2025 grant funds. 

Only Regional Councils of Government (COGs)/Regional Planning Organizations are eligible to apply for 205j grants; however, COGs may partner with any public or private sector organization to implement projects. 

The award and amount of grant funds are conditioned on availability of funding.  DWR reserves the right to wholly fund, partially fund, or not fund any proposal or any component of any 205j grant proposal. 

Grant Schedule and Application Materials

Overview: 

Through the Section 205(j) Grant program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides states with funding to do water quality planning.  These projects can involve identifying the nature, extent and cause of water quality problems or doing planning work to address those problems. Projects can include but are not limited to the development of EPA 9-Element Watershed Restoration Plans for a 12-digit or smaller USGS HUC, mapping stormwater infrastructure, conducting engineering designs for stormwater best management practices, and watershed assessments of pollutant sources.

205(j) grants are only available to regional Councils of Government (COGs); however, COGs may partner with any public sector organization to implement projects. A match is preferred but not required. Once contracted, projects can run for a maximum of 18 months. Funds are dispersed on a quarterly reimbursement basis, with any invoice to be accompanied by a report of the work performed. The Request for Proposals is released annually in summer and projects are selected in fall.

Watch the What is the 205(j) Water Quality Planning Grant? webinar.

Tab/Accordion Items

 

Timeline2025 205j Timetable for Grant Applications
Friday, July 25, 2025205(j) grant RFP opens
Thursday, September 18, 2025Deadline for proposals; must be received electronically by midnight
Thursday, October 2, 2025Applicants will receive review team’s questions about their proposals
Thursday, October 9, 2025Deadline for applicants to answer review team’s questions
Friday, October 24, 2025Applicants notified if selected for funding. Move forward with contracting.
Friday, November 7, 2025Deadline for selected applicants to return completed contracting forms to 205(j) grant manager, to enable contracts to be developed on time.
Thursday, January 1, 2026Contracts executed, projects may start. (Estimated depending on time for contract preparation.)

2025 205(j) Grant Request for Proposals
2025 205(j) Grant Application
2025 205(j) Grant Review Criteria

PIs for funded projects must submit a quarterly report detailing work performed along with any invoice to be reimbursed. If no work is completed in a quarter, no report is required. Project PIs should use the following report and invoice templates:

Quarterly Report Template 
Invoice Template 

 

Creating a 9-Element Watershed Plan Case Study: Upper Swannanoa River
Regional Water Resources Planning Case Study: Piedmont Climate Resiliency

205j Grant Administrator
Robin Hoffman
robin.hoffman@deq.nc.gov
(919) 707-3643

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