The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation announces the first recipients of its Water Stewardship Grant in honor of World Water Day

Funding will support nonprofit innovation and programming aimed at protecting water quality for The Everglades and The Long Island Sound, two of America’s most treasured waterbodies

MARYSVILLE, Ohio, March 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Driven by the critical need to bring bold clean-water innovation to our nation’s most critical waterways, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation today announced the first recipients of its Water Stewardship Grant––The Nature Conservancy’s New York Chapter and The Everglades Foundation. Both groups will work to advance scientific innovation and solutions related to the reduction of harmful algal blooms (HABs), which affect freshwater and marine waters in over 50% of U.S. states every year.

The Water Stewardship Grant will be presented annually by The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation to a group or groups of scientific innovators working to reduce the impact of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs), which continue to pollute freshwater in America’s most important waterbodies and threaten drinking water and wildlife. Typically caused by excess phosphorus, these harmful algal blooms are estimated to cost the U.S. economy $2.2 billion annually. The Grant aims to provide additional critically needed funding to enable nonprofit organizations to advance research and real-life scientific solutions to this problem.

“Clean water is one of the most vital environmental issues of our time and far too many communities experience the negative effects of nutrient pollution in their local waterways year after year,” said Jim King, president of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation. “The Water Stewardship Grant supports the important, and often expensive, work to bring bold, lasting clean-water innovation to fight against harmful algae blooms. The solution-driven efforts of The Nature Conservancy and The Everglades Foundation to help reduce nutrient pollution in their local and regional waterways are beyond inspiring, they are pragmatic approaches that engage communities, homeowners and each of us in the fight for clean water.”

This year’s recipients were selected based on their critical work to battle the effects of harmful algae blooms in their communities. Funding for The Nature Conservancy will be used to support the upgrade of residential septic systems on Long Island to diminish nitrogen pollution from sewage and to provide assistance to low-to-moderate income families looking to make septic system improvements. This Grant aligns with ScottsMiracle-Gro’s broader initiative to educate Long Island homeowners on lawn care practices that protect the Long Island Sound.