New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Acting Commissioner Amanda Lefton today announced DEC’s Climate Smart Communities Grant Program is making $22 million available to help municipalities take action to address climate change. Eligible projects include reducing flood risk by relocating or retrofitting critical infrastructure, reducing emissions from food waste, engineering feasibility studies, among many other actions that target decreasing pollution and improving health and community resilience.
“DEC’s Climate Smart Communities grants enable municipalities to take meaningful actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect clean air, and reduce risks to their communities from flooding and other climate impacts,” Acting Commissioner Lefton said. “Reducing harmful emissions while advancing climate equity in communities statewide is critical to improving health and quality of life for New Yorkers. DEC is proud of its partnerships with local leaders and community members to advance efforts to achieve a cleaner, greener, and more resilient future for New York State.”
Funding for the Climate Smart Communities Grant program is supported by the $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act and the State's Environmental Protection Fund, which was increased to a record $425 million in the 2025-26 State Budget. Since the program's inception in 2016, DEC has awarded more than $87 million to municipalities in support of local climate mitigation and adaptation projects.
If awarded a grant, municipalities are required to provide a local match of 50 percent of the total costs for most projects. Last year’s New York State budget authorized DEC to provide up to 80 percent of the cost of municipal projects that meet criteria for financial hardship and for projects located in disadvantaged communities.
More information about the grant program and the 2025 Request for Applications are available on the DEC website. Applications are due by July 31, 2025.
A total of $21 million is available for grants of between $50,000 and $2 million for these and other types of implementation projects:
- Reducing vehicle miles traveled;
- Reducing food waste in landfills;
- Reducing hydrofluorocarbon emissions from refrigeration and cooling equipment;
- Increasing natural resilience through restoration or preservation of natural features;
- Reducing future flood-risk, including by relocating or retrofitting critical infrastructure;
- Preparing for extreme heat and extreme weather events; and
- Engineering feasibility studies for flood risk reduction and refrigerant management.
In addition, up to $1 million is available for grants between $10,000 and $200,000 for planning, inventory, and assessment projects that are aligned with certain Climate Smart Communities certification actions in the areas of greenhouse gas mitigation, transportation, climate adaptation, and land use.
Visit DEC’s website to view the complete Request for Applications (RFA) for the Climate Smart Communities Grant Program. Potential applicants must read the entire RFA for complete details on the program. To apply for this latest round of grants, visit the New York State Consolidated Funding Application.
The Climate Smart Communities (CSC) Grant Program is one component of the larger, interagency CSC Program, which is jointly sponsored by DEC, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, New York Power Authority, Department of State, Department of Health, Department of Transportation, Department of Public Service, and Division of Homes and Community Renewal. The interagency program also provides CSC certification and technical assistance.
Established in 2009, the interagency CSC Program provides guidance and technical support to local governments to take locally driven climate action. The first step to becoming a Climate Smart Community is to register by pledging to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change. To date, 440 local governments representing nearly 9.6 million New Yorkers, or approximately 50 percent of the State’s population, have adopted the CSC pledge.
About the Consolidated Funding Application
The Consolidated Funding Application was created to streamline and expedite the grant application process. The CFA process marks a fundamental shift in the way state resources are allocated, ensuring less bureaucracy and greater efficiency to fulfill local economic development needs. The CFA serves as the single-entry point for access to economic development funding, ensuring applicants no longer have to slowly navigate multiple agencies and sources without any mechanism for coordination. Now, economic development projects use the CFA as a support mechanism to access multiple state funding sources through one application, making the process quicker, easier, and more productive. Learn more about the CFA.
New York State's Climate Agenda
New York State's climate agenda calls for an affordable and just transition to a clean energy economy that creates family-sustaining jobs, promotes economic growth through green investments, and directs a minimum of 35 percent of the benefits to disadvantaged communities. New York is advancing a suite of efforts to achieve an emissions-free economy by 2050, including in the energy, buildings, transportation, and waste sectors.
