2025 Grants in New York

CLEAN WATERS AND HEALTHY WATERSHEDS

Installing Ten Woodchip Box Nitrogen Removing Biofilters in Suffolk County

Grantee: Research Foundation of SUNY

Grant Amount: $584,971
Matching Funds: $399,384
Total Project Amount: $984,355

Install ten woodchip box Nitrogen Removing Biofilters (NRBs) in the Suffolk County portion of the Long Island Sound Watershed. Project will reduce 570.00 pounds of nitrogen from entering groundwater in the watershed and gain wider distribution of this efficient nitrogen removal technology.

Nature-based Schoolyard at PS 69Q to Improve Water Quality

Grantee: The Trust for Public Land

Grant Amount: $408,784
Matching Funds: $900,000
Total Project Amount: $1,308,784

Construct a nature-based infrastructure schoolyard in Jackson Heights, Queens at PS 69Q (1.6 miles) off the Bowery Bay. Project will reduce approximately 589,934 gallons of stormwater runoff from entering the sewer by capturing and infiltrating it or slowly releasing it back to the combined sewer system.

THRIVING HABITATS AND ABUNDANT WILDLIFE

Implementing Nesting Habitat Enhancement and Biosecurity for Terns on Great Gull Island

Grantee: University of Connecticut

Grant Amount: $742,382
Matching Funds: $395,556
Total Project Amount: $1,137,938

Create and implement biosecurity protocols to protect a colony of Common and Roseate terns on Great Gull Island, New York, from introduction of predators and invasive plants. Project will engage 180 community volunteers to assist in clearing debris, restoring native vegetation, building and placing nest boxes to improve habitat on 17 acres.

Implementing the Blind Brook Riparian Restoration Plan

Grantee: Friends of Rye Nature Center

Grant Amount: $443,166
Matching Funds: $445,000
Total Project Amount: $888,166

Implement engineered designs to restore a 1,660-foot stretch of the Blind Brook that passes through the Rye Nature Center, located in Rye, New York, a mile before it empties into Long Island Sound. Project will restore 8 acres of floodplain, create and repair 2.78 acres of wetland habitat and riverine migratory corridor, and offload 352,740 pounds of sedimentation deposition into the Blind Brook and thereby the Long Island Sound.

Installing Wildlife Tunnels at Cedar Beach to Protect Diamondback Terrapins

Grantee: Town of Brookhaven

Grant Amount: $109,009
Matching Funds: $119,512
Total Project Amount: $228,521

Install several wildlife tunnels for protected diamondback terrapins at Cedar Beach, Mt Sinai, in the Town of Brookhaven, New York. Project will provide an important corridor between the Mt Sinai Harbor and their nesting areas and improve 1.20 miles of beach habitat for the region.

Manhasset Bay Oyster Restoration Initiative

Grantee: Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County

Grant Amount: $716,135
Matching Funds: $360,395
Total Project Amount: $1,076,530

Launch a bay-wide oyster restoration initiative in Manhasset Bay through community oyster gardening, Floating Upweller Systems (FLUPSY), and post release monitoring. Project will maximize the number of oysters deployed in Manhasset Bay for habitat restoration and improved water quality in the Long Island Sound.

Piloting Small-scale Burns to Restore Critical Coastal Habitat on Fishers Island

Grantee: Henry L Ferguson Museum

Grant Amount: $53,500
Matching Funds: $32,712
Total Project Amount: $86,212

Develop and implement controlled burn plans for important coastal habitat on Fishers Island, New York. Project will result in six burn plans for important coastal habitat types (coastal grasslands and coastal forests), pilot burns in 20 acres of important coastal habitat, and collect data to determine the efficacy of the controlled burns in reducing non-native plants and improving floristic quality in coastal grasslands and coastal forests.

Restoring Ecosystem Function at Sunken Meadow State Park Salt Marshes

Grantee: National Audubon Society, Inc.

Grant Amount: $1,500,000
Matching Funds: $752,077
Total Project Amount: $2,252,077

Employ sediment placement techniques to repair ecosystem function and increase resilience of salt marsh habitat at Sunken Meadow State Park in Kings Park, New York. Project will restore 4.0 acres of high marsh and 10.0 acres of low marsh to enhance habitat for fish and wildlife, including Saltmarsh Sparrow.

SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

Building Capacity to Restore and Protect the Hutchinson River

Grantee: Hutchinson River Restoration Project

Grant Amount: $224,951
Matching Funds: $128,640
Total Project Amount: $353,591

Expand established stewardship and outreach activities to communities along the Hutchinson River. Project will develop a network of five organizations from local communities and increase participation in clean-up activities along the river.

Crab Meadow Watershed Education: From Suburban Plateau to Long Island Sound

Grantee: Hutchinson River Restoration Project

Grant Amount: $55,658
Matching Funds: $28,033
Total Project Amount: $83,691

Provide hands-on outreach education, educational signage, and implement the Crab Meadow Watershed Clean-Up event to 700 community members. Project will connect 200 attendees and volunteers to the Long Island Sound through native plant and rain barrel giveaways, paddle tours, and debris cleanups for 6 miles of trails and shoreline within the watershed as well as extend Long Island Sound watershed education to the classroom, reaching an additional 500 students.

Marine Debris Removal and Habitat Stewardship in Castle Hill

Grantee: Waterfront Alliance

Grant Amount: $120,000
Matching Funds: $60,000
Total Project Amount: $180,000

Launch a stewardship initiative that will engage youth through hands-on learning by participating in community-wide shoreline cleanups and exploring the local ecology of Pugsley and Westchester Creeks in Castle Hill, Bronx, New York. Project will reduce marine debris, strengthen local stewardship, and advance long-term resilience for the Long Island Sound.

ReWild Gardens for Long Island Sound II

Grantee: ReWild Long Island

Grant Amount: $249,333
Matching Funds: $342,376
Total Project Amount: $591,709

Install and maintain 40 new native-plant focused gardens and maintain 25 existing gardens. Project will engage youth and adult volunteers in hands-on learning on the practices of sustainable gardening, benefits to the Long Island Sound and local ecosystem, and principles of sustainable garden design.

INFORMED AND ENGAGED PUBLIC

Connecting the Next Generation of Environmental Stewards in NYC to the Long Island Sound

Grantee: National Audubon Society, Inc.

Grant Amount: $200,658
Matching Funds: $100,765
Total Project Amount: $301,424

Engage 600 New York City elementary and high school students in classroom, hands-on outdoor learning, and stewardship and provide professional development to 120 teachers. Project will develop, pilot, test, evaluate and refine grade-specific engagement strategies that will connect New York City students and teachers to the Long Island Sound and position them to become stewards of the Sound.

Flowing from Shoelace to Soundview: Cultivating Bronx Stewards of the Sound

Grantee: The Bronx is Blooming

Grant Amount: $250,000
Matching Funds: $178,604
Total Project Amount: $428,604

Advance place-based stewardship in two ecologically significant Bronx parks, Soundview and Shoelace. Project will provide public stewardship activities such as volunteer days, gardening clubs, and bird walks, which will reach over 1,000 community members and build long-term local capacity to protect the Long Island Sound.

Habitats and Stewardship for the Long Island Sound

Grantee: National Wildlife Federation

Grant Amount: $250,000
Matching Funds: $125,000
Total Project Amount: $375,000

Engage more than 600 students in hands-on science activities in the watershed and environmental stewardship of their communities, and establish a minimum of five new certified National Wildlife Federation Schoolyard Habitats that will serve as outdoor classrooms in the watershed. Project will improve the Long Island Sound’s water quality and increase the biodiversity of Queens neighborhoods.

Improving Forest Habitat Stewardship and Access in Forest Park, Queens

Grantee: Natural Areas Conservancy

Grant Amount: $82,220
Matching Funds: $65,000
Total Project Amount: $147,220

Implement a collaborative training series and volunteer program to build stewardship capacity to support forest health in Forest Park, Queens. Project will train local volunteers and nonprofit partners in trail management and ecological restoration, focusing on the park’s 362-acre oak forest.

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