With the passage of the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Trust Fund Act of 2007 state leaders in Maryland have laid the foundation for an ambitious strategy for restoring and protecting the Bay. The creation of the Trust Fund, and the decision to capitalize it at the rate of $50 million per year, further positions Maryland as a regional and national leader in valuing and protecting critical natural resources. The opportunity now exists for the state to use the Trust Fund to implement an efficient and effective investment strategy. To implement this strategy, we recommend that the state develop a financing approach that provides flexibility, capacity, and efficiency in the investment process and the aggressive pursuit of opportunities to support research and development of new innovations and technologies that will provide long-term benefit to the restoration effort.