Hudson River Estuary Grants – River Education

Hudson River Estuary Grants – River Education is sponsored by NYSDEC (Hudson River Estuary Program). —

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) .

2026 Hudson River Estuary Grant Recorded Webinar Series This series profiled recent projects funded by the Hudson River Estuary Program. In four webinars, grantees shared successes from their work, lessons learned, and tips for designing an effective project. Additional case studies from the 2025 webinar series are available below.

Watershed Stewardship & Tributary Restoration: City of Peekskill, Riverkeeper, and Hoving Home; April 30, 2026 | View the Webinar Climate Adaptation Planning: Village of Nyack and Town of Poughkeepsie; May 7, 2026 | View the Webinar Conservation Planning: Town of Hurley and Columbia Land Conservancy; May 14, 2026 | View the Webinar River Access: City of Kingston and Town of Bethlehem; May 21, 2026 | View the Webinar 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 .

Previous Hudson River Estuary Grant Opportunities Previous Hudson River Estuary Grant Opportunities The Hudson River Estuary Grants Program is currently closed. The next application period is expected to open in Fall 2026.

2025 Round 48 Hudson River Estuary Grants for River Education RFA (PDF) 2025 Round 47 Hudson River Estuary Grants for Local Stewardship Planning (PDF) 2024 Round 46 Hudson River Estuary Grants for River Access (PDF) 2024 Round 45 Hudson River Estuary Grants for Tributary Restoration and Resiliency (PDF) 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: New York Restoration Project and Groundwork Hudson Valley; March 12, 2025 | View the Webinar Watershed Stewardship & Tributary Restoration: Town of Cortlandt and Hudson Valley Stream Conservancy; March 10, 2025 | View the Webinar Conservation Planning: Town of Milan and Town of Bedford; March 6, 2025 | View the Webinar River Education: Radix Center and Sarah Lawrence Center for the Urban River; March 5, 2025 | View the Webinar 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 Include any addendums/attachments that may be necessary (e.g. draft deliverables, meeting agendas or minutes, etc.) Quarterly Financial Report (see Financial Report Guidelines (PDF) Attachment A Expenditure Summary (PDF) Certification of Compliance (PDF) Back-up of all expenditures (grant and match) Additional Financial Report Templates (use as needed, depending on the project) Donated Labor for allowable rates, see Value of Volunteer Time for standard volunteer rate for NYS, or Occupational Employment Statistics for specialized occupational rates State Aid Voucher for Advance (PDF) (for not-for-profits to request advance payment of up to 25% of the grant) Final Report (see Final Report Guidelines (PDF) Final Payment Release Form (PDF) Provide all deliverables and other materials as outlined in the guidelines Financial Report, as shown in second row above.

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 2025 Grant Award Announcement Hudson River Estuary Management Program