ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — Allegheny County and the Allegheny County Conservation District have secured nearly $500,000 in state grants to support environmental projects across southwestern Pennsylvania.
The funding includes a $299,700 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and a $176,417 Growing Greener grant.
The state funding will launch and expand initiatives across 12 counties to help local governments prepare for environmental challenges, including flooding, landslides and extreme heat. The dual grants focus on increasing technical assistance, expanding green infrastructure and improving water quality across the region.
The $299,700 grant, awarded through DCNR’s Community Conservation Partnerships Program, will fund the Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Resilience Partnership.
Allegheny County will coordinate the effort alongside ACCD, the Local Government Academy, Tree Pittsburgh, Community Project Hub and the Congress of Neighboring Communities. Planned activities include creating an online resource clearinghouse, offering shared resilience training, expanding peer-learning for municipal staff and providing specialized technical assistance to more than 100 municipalities. The initiative will also pilot a municipal resilience internship program.
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato emphasized the need for cross-border cooperation to address environmental issues across the region.
“Climate challenges don’t stop at municipal or county lines and our solutions shouldn’t either,” Innamorato said. “By working together across southwestern Pennsylvania, we can help local governments access the tools, expertise and resources they need to protect our natural environment, prepare for climate impacts and build healthier, more resilient communities. These investments are an important step toward making that work more coordinated, accessible and effective across our region.”
The regional partnership will focus on strategies such as improving watershed planning, maintaining green infrastructure, expanding tree canopy, protecting water quality and conserving open space. The work aims to streamline municipal resources and build upon existing local environmental planning, including Allegheny County’s climate action plan.
A separate $176,417 Growing Greener grant awarded to ACCD will support water quality improvements in postindustrial municipalities. ACCD is working on the project with Allegheny County, the Center for Watershed Protection, WaterNow Alliance and the Steel Rivers Council of Governments. The organizations will develop online tools to prioritize high-impact projects and draft project concept plans.
Contracting for the DCNR-funded portion of the initiative is anticipated during the first and second quarters of 2027. Project launch is planned for mid-2027, with the timeline subject to refinement as grant administration proceeds.
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