Grants Program And Funding Opportunities For The Hudson River Estuary

Since 1999, DEC's Hudson River Estuary Program has offered grants to municipalities and non-profits located within the Estuary Watershed Boundaries (PDF) to help communities improve water quality, adapt to climate change, enhance environmental education, and advance stewardship of habitat and natural resources. This funding helps partners implement priorities outlines in the  Hudson River Estuary Grants Program implements priorities outlined in the Hudson River Estuary Action Agenda 2021-2025. To date, the program has awarded 664 grants totaling more than $30,548,053 with funding from New York State's Environmental Protection Fund (EPF).

Request for Applications

$1 million in new competitive grant funding is now available through two separate Requests for Applications (RFAs): Local Stewardship Planning and River Education. This funding will help communities in the Hudson River estuary watershed improve climate resilience, advance stewardship of natural resources, and enhance environmental education. These grants are funded through the NYS Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) and administered by DEC's Hudson River Estuary Program.

The RFA applications (including eligibility requirements, project descriptions, prequalification information, and application instructions) are available only online through the NYS Statewide Financial System (SFS) Grants Management System. The SFS Grants Management System is a web-based grant management system that streamlines the way grants are administered by the State of New York.

Local Stewardship Planning

Approximately $700,000 is available for Local Stewardship Planning. The minimum award amount is $10,500 and the maximum award amount is $75,000.

Eligible Projects

This RFA is designed to help local organizations and communities advance four categories of projects and programs through planning, feasibility studies, and/or design:

1. Creating climate vulnerability assessments, adaptation plans, and strategies for communities in the Hudson River estuary watershed
2. Planning for Hudson River access site improvements
3. Planning for conservation of natural resources
4. Watershed-Based Stewardship, studies, Planning, restoration, and management 

Read the Local Stewardship Planning RFA (PDF)

River Education

Approximately $300,000 is available to support projects to enhance education about the estuary along the tidal waters of the Hudson and make opportunities to learn about the Hudson River Estuary more accessible for a wide range of people, especially communities underrepresented in science careers. The minimum grant award is $20,000, and the maximum grant amount is $100,000.

Eligible Projects

1. Locally-based facilities for learning about the Hudson River Estuary including NY Harbor  
2. Hudson River Resources and Education Programs
3. Educator professional development or curriculum development
4. Intensive environmental science research programs for young adults 

Read the River Education RFA (PDF)

How To Apply

The Requests for Applications for Local Stewardship Planning (Round 47) and River Education (Round 48) are available only in the NYS SFS Grants Management System. All grant applications must be completed online in the SFS Grants Management System. Applications must be received in the SFS Grants Management System by 3 p.m. on August 7, 2025.

Eligibility and Application Process

All New York State (NYS) grant applicants - both governmental and 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organizations - must be registered in the NYS Grants Management system to be eligible to apply for any NYS grant opportunity. Not-for-profit organizations must prequalify. Registration and prequalification information, forms, online guidance, documentation, and grant opportunities are available online at the State Financial System (SFS) New York Grants Management website.

On-Demand Training is available in SFS Coach​, and this SFS training presentation (PDF) contains links to relevant training materials and videos. SFS questions may be directed to [email protected]​ or 518-457-7737 or 877-737-4185 (toll-free)​

Eligible applicants include Governmental Entities, Municipalities, and Quasi-Governmental Entities, including but not limited to Counties, Cities, Towns, Villages, or Indian nation or tribe recognized by the state or the United States with a reservation wholly or partly within the boundaries of New York State, or any combination thereof, Public Benefit Corporations, Public Authorities, Municipal Corporations, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, School Districts, and Community Colleges, and not-for-profit corporations with a 501(c)(3) designation.

Estuary Watershed Boundaries

Projects eligible for funding must be located within the Estuary Watershed Boundaries (PDF). To find out if a potential project is located within these boundaries, please type the location of the project into the Hudson River Estuary Grant Program Interactive Boundary Map. The Hudson River Estuary Grant Program Boundaries are also available on the interactive Hudson Valley Natural Resource Mapper.

2025 Hudson River Estuary Recorded Grant Webinar Series

This series profiled recent projects funded by the Hudson River Estuary Grants Program. In four webinars, grantees shared successes from their work, lessons learned, and tips for designing an effective project.  

• Climate Resiliency Planning, March 12, 2025 | View the Webinar and Transcript
• Watershed Stewardship & Tributary Restoration, March 10, 2025 | View the Webinar and Transcript
• Conservation Planning, March 6, 2025 | View the Webinar and Transcript
• River Education, March 5, 2025 | View the Webinar and Transcript

Grants Program Reporting

Reporting is required on a quarterly basis for all Hudson River Estuary Program grants. Quarters are based on the New York State fiscal year, deadlines as follows: July 30 (for April 1 - June 30); October 30 (for July 1 - September 30); January 30 (for October 1 - December 31); April 30 (for January 1 - March 31). Quarterly reports consist of a technical narrative (progress report), and an invoice (financial report). Reports must be submitted electronically to Susan Pepe. Guidelines and associated forms are as follows:

Grants Program History

Grants for Local Partners

Since 1999, DEC's Hudson River Estuary Program has offered grants to municipalities and non-profits located within its Estuary Watershed Boundaries (PDF). More than $19.4 million had been distributed to 495 applicants as of year's end, 2017. The funding for this program is primarily from New York State's Environmental Protection Fund (EPF).

The Estuary Grants were created to help fulfill those goals of the Hudson River Estuary Action Agenda that can be implemented most effectively by municipalities, not for profits, and other local partners.

Recent Past Recipients and Their Projects

• 2021 - 2024 (PDF)
• 2015-2020 (PDF)