If you have questions regarding the application and funding process, please contact the Galveston Bay Estuary Program at GBEP@tceq.texas.gov.

Funding for Fiscal 2027

The Galveston Bay Estuary Program (GBEP) is formally seeking project proposals to consider for Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 320 and State Funding for fiscal 2027 (beginning September 1, 2026). Members from the four subcommittees of the Galveston Bay Council determined the priorities for CWA Section 320 and State Funding during their June 2025 meetings.

Fiscal 2027 Proposal Form

*Please note that this year, there is only one proposal form. Applicants must identify which subcommittee they are applying to in the form itself.

Please fill out all fields of the proposal form and send to the appropriate subcommittee coordinator by close of business, July 25, 2025.

Please note the following:

  • The 1,000-word maximum on the Full Project Summary will be strictly enforced.
  • Only Microsoft Word versions of a proposal will be accepted (No PDFs; please contact the appropriate subcommittee coordinator if there is an issue).
  • No projects will be accepted after July 25, 2025.

CWA Section 320 and State Funding Priorities by Subcommittee:

WSQ Subcommittee

  • Supporting management measures and watershed-based plans
  • Implementation and/or evaluation of best management practices that address point and nonpoint source pollution
  • Public health risk awareness outreach campaigns related to contact recreation and/or seafood consumption

NRU Subcommittee

  • Habitat acquisition.
  • Enhancement of existing or ongoing restoration/conservation efforts with special emphasis on:
    • Adaptive management for previously completed projects;
    • Projects that have lost funding from other federal sources; and
    • Nonnative species management.
  • Benefit to native fish and wildlife, including federal and state listed species, Species of Greatest Conservation Need, or nongame wildlife.
  • Brings funding, work leverage, or multiple Priority Area/Subcommittee benefits to the program.
  • Project urgency: Project must be completed in next 24 months or opportunity is lost

PPE Subcommittee

  • Empowers K-12 students and/or adults to positively impact their local environment through increased scientific literacy and community projects.
  • Connects new audiences to existing/completed projects or the natural habitat.
  • Opportunities for GBEP and partners to host workshops/networking events for education and outreach practitioners on key topics.
  • Conservation and environmental workforce development.

 M&R Subcommittee

  • Meaningful and effective monitoring of existing, past, and new projects (NRU: especially species of concern, WSQ, PPE).
  • Baseline assessments for large-scale, man-made changes to Galveston Bay.
  • Assessment, exposure, and response to stressors, including but not limited to:
  • Investigates ecosystem services and economic valuation of bay resources.

 

If you have questions about Section 320 and State funding, please contact the appropriate subcommittee coordinator.

WSQ Coordinator– Christian Rines; christian.rines@tceq.texas.gov

NRU Coordinator – Lindsey Lippert; lindsey.lippert@tceq.texas.gov

PPE Coordinator – Zoe Gapayao; zoe.gapayao@tceq.texas.gov

M&R Coordinator – Jenelle Estrada; jenelle.estrada@tceq.texas.gov

 

Additional information is available from the Texas Comptroller Website.

Federal Fiscal 2026 IIJA Funding Priorities

The Galveston Bay Estuary Program (GBEP) is formally seeking project proposals to consider for Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding for federal fiscal 2026 (beginning September 1, 2026). Stakeholders from the Budget and Priorities (B&P) Subcommittee of the Galveston Bay Council met on April 2, 2025, to determine the priorities for IIJA project planning. Projects will be presented to and selected by the B&P Subcommittee on October 1, 2025.

 

IIJA Proposal Form

 

Please fill out all fields of the proposal form and send to gbep@tceq.texas.gov by close of business, August 8, 2025.

 

Please note the following:

  • The 1,000-word maximum on the “Full Project Summary” field will be strictly enforced.
  • Only Microsoft Word versions of a proposal will be accepted (No PDFs; please contact the appropriate subcommittee coordinator if there is an issue).
  • No projects will be accepted after August 8, 2025.

 

Federal Fiscal 2026 IIJA Priorities

Any proposal implementing the Galveston Bay Plan, 2nd Edition (GBP) can be submitted, but proposals implementing one or more of the priorities below developed at the April 2025 B&P Subcommittee meeting will be considered above others:

 

Overarching Requirement

Projects must incorporate the implementation of the Galveston Bay Estuary Resilience Action Plan.

 

Action Priorities

Proposals must address one or more of the following actions:

  • Habitat conservation, restoration, and enhancement that incorporates water quality protection/improvement and benefit to wildlife.
  • Projects that evaluate water quality indicators or address sources of water and sediment quality degradation in support of watershed management.
  • Projects that are on the ground (place-based) within the lower Galveston Bay watershed.

 

Support Priorities

Proposals must address at least one supporting action developed by the subcommittees, but preference will be given to projects that are able to incorporate multiple supporting actions:

  • Engaging K-12 students and/or adults in hands-on, place-based environmental education.
  • Includes region-wide initiatives that foster collaborations and/or build capacity with new communities and organizations while implementing the Engage Communities priority plan.
  • Monitoring and research that produces environmental data applicable to future implementation and management decisions and/or establishes new or updated environmental benchmarks.

 

EPA Areas of Special Interest:

  • Reduce Nutrient Pollution to Protect Water Quality and Public Health
  • Make Investments that Address Coastal Resiliency
  • Reduce Trash

 

If you have questions about IIJA funding, please contact Lisa Marshall; lisa.marshall@tceq.texas.gov

 

Additional information is available from the Texas Comptroller Website.

How the Galveston Bay Estuary Program funds projects

Federal, state, and partner contributions are critical to the success of the GBEP. The Estuary Program is funded annually with EPA funds from Section 320 of the Clean Water Act, which is matched (1:1) with state funds from TCEQ. The partnership between TCEQ and EPA is important to the successful implementation of The Galveston Bay Plan since some plan actions fulfill the tenants of the Clean Water Act and Texas Water Code and support the missions of both agencies.

GBEP receives additional state funding, which is leveraged to match other federal grants.

GBEP provides technical support to its partners in developing and securing funding for a variety of project types and applies for external funding when applicable. Awards received include Coastal Impact Assistance Program, which was administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in partnership with the Texas General Land Office, and the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

GBEP Project Development Process

The Estuary Program project development and funding is unique in that the staff members work closely with stakeholders to take a project from concept to implementation. This process is one of the strengths of the Estuary Program as it has garnered vital partnerships and helped leverage resources from multiple entities and organizations.
The fiscal year for the State of Texas is September 1 through August 31. Throughout the year the Galveston Bay Council and its subcommittees meet to develop projects that are aligned with the Galveston Bay Plan.

Subcommittee Review and Selection

The Water and Sediment Quality (WSQ), Natural Resource Uses (NRU), Public Participation and Education (PPE), and Monitoring and Research (M&R) subcommittees meet quarterly during the year to discuss each group’s priority focus and determine what projects or issues need to be addressed. The subcommittees also work in concert with the Galveston Bay Council, the Budget and Priorities subcommittee (B&P), and Estuary Program staff to develop priority needs. The B&P subcommittee consists of the chairs of each of the subcommittees and the Council Chair and Vice Chair as well as former Council Chairs. This body also meets regularly to review and assess the needs of the program and the other subcommittees.

Starting in early summer, the committees meet to set priority needs that will help determine project planning for the upcoming fiscal year funding.

By early fall, each subcommittee meets to review project proposals based on the priorities set throughout the year. A project proposal submission form is made available for each subcommittee and the public at large. Projects are presented in the September subcommittee meetings.

After subcommittee members have reviewed the proposals, projects are selected either by consensus or ranking depending on the approved process in each subcommittee.

Once the projects are selected by each subcommittee, the projects are then reviewed by the B&P subcommittee. This body is tasked with providing a balanced fiscal year budget for the program that takes into consideration program needs, operating costs, and project funding.

Council Review and Work Plan

In October, the Council is presented the GBEP budget that includes the proposed projects. Once the Council has approved the projects and proposed GBEP budget, the Estuary Program, and TCEQ work to develop the fiscal year work plan for the EPA that lays out program operating costs, project funding, and program needs.