OpenOpportunity P27AS00032

Exploring and Enhancing Outdoor and Heritage Tourism in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

National Park Service · Department of the Interior

At a glance

Exploring and Enhancing Outdoor and Heritage Tourism in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed is an open federal grant opportunity from the National Park Service (Department of the Interior). Applications are due November 4, 2026. Individual awards are listed as $10K – $50K, with about 26 awards expected and $1M in total estimated funding. Applicant types listed as eligible include state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, independent school districts and 9 more. Cost sharing is not required. It is funded under Assistance Listing 15.930 (Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network).

Summary assembled from the official notice's fields. The official notice governs.

Key facts

Aug 27, 2026Posted
Nov 4, 2026Application deadlinenext date

Posted: Aug 27, 2026
Close date: Nov 4, 2026
Award floor: $10,000
Award ceiling: $50,000
Est. total funding: $1,000,000
Expected awards: 26
Cost sharing: Not required
Funding instrument: Grant
Opportunity category: Discretionary

Who can apply

State governments
County governments
City or township governments
Special district governments
Independent school districts
Public colleges & universities
Federally recognized tribal governments
Public & Indian housing authorities
Native American tribal organizations
501(c)(3) nonprofits
Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status
Private colleges & universities
For-profit organizations (not small businesses)
Small businesses

Additional information on eligibility (from the notice)

PLEASE NOTE: Projects that take place outside the watershed are not eligible for consideration. A link to all the counties in the watershed can be found in Appendix A. A full map can be found here.Chesapeake Gateways Network Requirement: The applicant must be a non-federal Chesapeake Gateways Network member (Place, Experience, Community, or Programmatic Partner). To become a Chesapeake Gateways Network member, prospective applicants need to submit a self-nomination through the Chesapeake Gateways Network portal: Join the Chesapeake Gateways Network - Chesapeake Bay Watershed (U.S. National Park Service). Foreign Entities or Projects: This program does not provide funding to foreign entities or for projects conducted outside the United States.Excluded Parties:NPS conducts a review of the SAM.gov Exclusions database for all applicant entities and their key project personnel prior to award. The NPS cannot award funds to entities or their key project personnel identified in the SAM.gov Exclusions database as ineligible, prohibited/restricted, or otherwise excluded from receiving Federal contracts, certain subcontracts, and certain Federal assistance and benefits, as their ineligibility condition applies to this Federal program.

Can your organization apply?

A quick check against the listed applicant types — other requirements in the notice still apply.

Based on the published notice. Review the official notice for complete eligibility requirements.

What it funds

Official synopsis as published by the agency, formatted for readability.

Goal: Encourage outdoor recreation and natural, historical, and cultural tourism that expands access to and awareness of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and fosters economic development of communities.ObjectivesNPS Chesapeake Gateways is offering this competitive grant opportunity to strengthen a community's ability to offer or enhance outdoor recreation and natural, historical, and cultural tourism that connects visitors and residents to the Chesapeake Bay watershed as detailed in the Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act of 1998.Through this grant opportunity, NPS Chesapeake Gateways will:Enhance outdoor recreation and natural, historical, and cultural tourism in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.Support projects that link outdoor and heritage tourism to economic impact.Celebrate gateway communities that welcome and invite locals and visitors to explore authentic Chesapeake Gateways Places and stories through outdoor recreation and natural, historical, and cultural experiences.Grant ThemeChesapeake Gateways is a network of places that provide opportunities to explore outdoor recreation and authentic natural, historical, and cultural experiences of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Included in this network are diverse recreational, natural, cultural, historical, and recreational sites, trails, museums, parks, wildlife refuges, interpretive and orientation facilities, and associated programs. These places, and Chesapeake Gateways as a whole, serve as entry points and the key guide for experiencing the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Full announcement & documents

The full announcement has the complete rules — page limits, required attachments, evaluation criteria and any letter-of-intent dates. Files download directly from Grants.gov.

How to apply

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Read the full announcement (NOFO)Eligibility, evaluation criteria, page limits and required attachments are in the full notice on Grants.gov. Open ↗
Confirm eligibility and fitCheck your organization type above; no cost sharing is required.
Register (or renew) in SAM.gov and get a UEIFree. New registrations can take several weeks; registrations must be renewed every year. Open ↗
Set up Grants.gov accessCreate a Grants.gov account and make sure someone has the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) role. Open ↗
Open the application packageUse opportunity number P27AS00032 on Grants.gov (Grants.gov Workspace). Open ↗
Prepare narrative, budget and attachmentsFollow the notice's format exactly — page limits and required forms are common reasons applications are rejected.
Ask the agency contact any questions earlyNational Park Service · monica_marcus@ios.doi.gov Open ↗
Submit before November 4, 2026Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 11:59 PM, ET, on the listed application due date. Submit a few days early and keep your Grants.gov confirmation and validation emails.

Assistance Listing

What is an ALN?

15.930Chesapeake Bay Gateways NetworkProgram →

Reported obligations under ALN 15.930

Historical data · not a prediction

FY24

$1.28M

FY25

$1.04M

FY26

$1M est.

Source: SAM.gov Assistance Listing 15.930. Program-wide totals, not awards from this specific opportunity.

Agency contact (as published)

National Park Service
monica_marcus@ios.doi.gov
202-697-2035

Quick answers

When is the deadline for “Exploring and Enhancing Outdoor and Heritage Tourism in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed”?

According to the official notice, applications are due November 4, 2026. The notice adds: “Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 11:59 PM, ET, on the listed application due date.” Confirm the deadline and submission time on Grants.gov before applying.

Who is eligible to apply for “Exploring and Enhancing Outdoor and Heritage Tourism in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed”?

The official notice lists these applicant types as eligible: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public colleges & universities, Federally recognized tribal governments, Public & Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations, 501(c)(3) nonprofits, Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status, Private colleges & universities and 2 more. Additional restrictions may apply; review the full notice.

How much funding is available through “Exploring and Enhancing Outdoor and Heritage Tourism in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed”?

Per the notice, individual awards are listed as $10k – $50k, total estimated program funding is $1,000,000 and the agency expects to make about 26 awards.

How do I apply for “Exploring and Enhancing Outdoor and Heritage Tourism in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed”?

Applications are submitted through the official source, not through GrantsJunction. Open the official notice on Grants.gov (opportunity P27AS00032), and review the full announcement and application package. Organizations applying through Grants.gov generally need an active SAM.gov registration and a Grants.gov account, which can take several weeks to set up.

Matched on shared Assistance Listings, agency, categories and eligible applicant types.

OpenALN 15.945