Water: 5 Star Wetland Restoration & Grants
5 Star Restoration Program
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What is the Five Star Restoration Program?
Past Recipients of Five Star Grants
Applying for a Five Star Restoration Grant
Grant Writing Resources
Technical Resources for Grant Writers and Grant Recipients
Contact Information
What is the Five Star Restoration Grant Program?
The Five Star Restoration Program brings together students, conservation corps, other youth groups, citizen groups, corporations, landowners and government agencies to provide environmental education and training through projects that restore wetlands and streams. The program provides challenge grants, technical support and opportunities for information exchange to enable community-based restoration projects. Funding levels are modest, from $5,000 to $20,000, with $10,000 as the average amount awarded per project. However, when combined with the contributions of partners, projects that make a meaningful contribution to communities become possible. At the completion of Five Star projects, each partnership will have experience and a demonstrated record of accomplishment, and will be well-positioned to take on other projects. Aggregating over time and space, these grassroots efforts will make a significant contribution to our environmental landscape and to the understanding of the importance of healthy wetlands and streams in our communities.
For more detailed information on the Five Star Program and other community-based restoration programs, please see:
Five Star Restoration Overview (PDF) (2 pp, 1.2MB)
Five Star Restoration Fact Sheet
Five Star Brochure (PDF) (6 pp, 1.1MB)
Past Recipients of Five Star Grants
Click on a state in the map or from the list below for more information regarding individual projects within that state
To date, over 300 projects have been funded through the Five Star Program. Click above to find projects funded in your state. For complete descriptions of Five Star funded projects, see projects for
- FY2009 (PDF) (11 pp, 72K)
- FY2008 (PDF) (18 pp, 82K)
- FY2007
- FY2006
- FY2005
- FY2004
- FY2003
- FY2002
- FY2001
- FY2000
- FY1999
- Grants awarded prior to FY1999
Applying for a Five Star Restoration Grant
Steps for Implementing a Restoration Project
Steps for Implementing a Restoration Project (PDF) (2 pp, 92K) (http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/habitat/restoration/implementation.pdf)
Five Star Grant FAQ
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Five Star Restoration Grant Program 
(http://www.nfwf.org/fivestar)
Finding Corporate/Facility Partners
Wildlife Habitat Council Members (http://www.wildlifehc.org/members/)
Finding Local Government Partners
National Association of Counties: Find a County (http://www.naco.org/counties/pages/findacounty.aspx)
Grant Writing Resources
The biggest challenge faced by Five Star applicants is to develop a comprehensive grant proposal that is complete and reflects the goals of the grant program. Here are some resources to help with the project planning and application processes as you assemble your grant application package.
- EPA Grants and Debarment (http://www.epa.gov/ogd)
- Funding Wetlands Projects (PDF) (2 pp, 92K) (http://water.epa.gov/grants_funding/wetlands/restore/upload/funding.pdf)
- Environmental Finance Program (http://www.epa.gov/efinpage)
- Funding for Habitat Restoraton Projects: A Citizen's Guide (http://www.restorationmarketplace.com/?id=5)
Technical Resources for Grant Applicants and Recipients
The Five Star Restoration Grant Program funds projects that have educational, training and scientific merit. During the project planning process, it is critical to have access to technical documents to design an appropriate wetland or stream restoration project that will be successful and continue to flourish long after the project is completed. The technical documents listed below are meant to provide you with some basic technical guidance for project planning, as well as long-term monitoring strategies.
Wetlands:
- An Introduction and Users Guide to Wetland Restoration, Creation, and Enhancement
- Volunteer Wetlands Monitoring: An Introduction and Resource Guide
- Volunteer Wetlands Monitoring Materials
Rivers, Streams and Lakes:
- Volunteer Stream Monitoring: A Methods Manual (PDF) (227 pp, 2.27MB)
- Methods and Tools to Monitor, Assess and Report on Health of America's Water Resources
- Adopt-A -Buffer Toolkit: Monitoring and Maintaining Restoration Projects - Delaware Riverkeeper Network (PDF) (142 pp, 1.9MB)
- Stream Corridor Restoration: Principles, Processes, and Practices
Contact Information
Program Coordinator Contacts:
Amanda Bassow (Amanda.Bassow@nfwf.org)
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
1120 Connecticut Avenue, NW Suite 900
Washington, DC 20036
202-857-0166
Almeda L. Brooks (abrooks@wildlifehc.org)
Wildlife Habitat Council
8737 Colesville Rd., Suite 800
Silver Spring, MD 20910
301-588-8994
Erik Johnston (ejohnston@naco.org)
National Association of Counties
440 First Street, NW Suite 800
Washington, DC 20001
202-942-4246
Leslie C. Montgomery (lcmontgo@southernco.com)
Southern Company
600 N. 18th Street / 14N-8195
P.O. Box 2641
Birmingham, AL 35291-8195
205-257-5187
Myra Price (price.myra@epa.gov)
USEPA Wetlands Division
Room 6105 (4502 T)
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC
202-566-1225