The Hudson River Estuary Program offers 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.
Grants Program And Funding Opportunities For The Hudson River Estuary
$1 Million in Grant Funding Now Available
Request for Application (RFA): Tributary Restoration and Resiliency; River Access
Tributary Restoration and Resiliency
Approximately $800,000 in funding is available for five categories of projects for aquatic barrier mitigation or removal.
- Dam Removal: A shovel-ready project to deconstruct a dam to restore aquatic connectivity for fish and mitigate flood risks on tributaries. Projects may include removal or mitigation of multiple barriers and may include road-stream crossing mitigation in addition to dam removal.
- Dam Removal – Planning: Engineering/planning to remove a dam affecting eel or herring migration and flood resilience on tributaries, may include multiple barriers in a sequence, and may include mitigation/right-sizing of one or more culverts.
- Initial Reconnaissance for Feasibility of Dam Removal: A project to conduct initial reconnaissance including dam owner and social perspective to assess the scope, challenges, and feasibility of a dam removal.
- Stream Crossing Replacement: Mitigation/right-sizing of a single culvert or bridge that is a barrier as assessed through NAACC road-stream crossing protocols (rated severe, significant, or No AOP), and is a priority of a municipal management plan.
- Stream Crossing Design: Engineering/design plans for mitigation/right-sizing of a single culvert or bridge that is a barrier as assessed through NAACC road-stream crossing protocols (rated severe, significant, or No AOP), and is a priority of a municipal management plan.
- Stream Crossing Design and Replacement: Engineering/design plans and implementation for mitigation/right-sizing of a single culvert or bridge that is a barrier as assessed through NAACC road-stream crossing protocols (rated severe, significant, or No AOP), and is a priority of a municipal management plan.
View the Tributary Restoration and Resiliency Request for Applications (PDF)
The deadline for applications is December 12th, at 3 p.m. To be eligible, projects must be located within the boundaries of the Hudson River Estuary Program.
River Access
Approximately $200,000 is available for two categories of projects:
- Planning and Implementation of Access Site Resiliency to Flooding and Sea-Level Rise: Applicants may apply for planning and /or implementation of resiliency projects at Hudson River and tidal tributary public access sites addressing the hazards of intense storms, flooding, and shoreline loss due to climate change and sea-level rise.
- Planning and Implementation of Accessibility Improvements for People with Disabilities: Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) transition planning, assessments, designs, or plans for new and/or existing access sites along the Hudson River estuary to improve access for boating, fishing, swimming, and/or wildlife-related recreation for people of all abilities.
View the River Access Request for Applications (PDF)
The deadline for applications is December 12th, at 3 p.m. To be eligible, projects must be located within the boundaries of the Hudson River Estuary Program.
Tributary Restoration and Resiliency and River Access Grants Recorded Webinars, October 2024
This webinar profiled recent Tributary Restoration and Resiliency funded grant projects. In this webinar, grantees shared successes from their work, lessons learned, and tips for designing an effective project.
This series profiled recent River Access funded grant projects. In this webinar, grantees shared successes from their work, lessons learned, and tips for designing an effective project.
Recorded Grants Webinar Series April, 2024:
Local Stewardship and River Education grantees share successes from their work, lessons learned, and tips for designing an effective project
- Watershed Studies and Reconnecting Streams, April 11, 2024 | View the Webinar | Transcript
- Conservation Planning, April 18, 2024 | View the Webinar | Transcript
- River Education, April 24, 2024 | View the Webinar | Transcript
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.
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.
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:
Grant Reporting Categories | Grant Reporting Forms |
---|---|
Quarterly Progress Report |
|
Quarterly Financial Report (see Financial Report Guidelines (PDF) |
|
Additional Financial Report Templates (use as needed, depending on the project) |
|
Final Report (see Final Report Guidelines (PDF) |
|
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
Hudson River Estuary Program
21 South Putt Corners Rd
New Paltz, NY 12561