Long Island Sound Futures Fund is sponsored by National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). Improves the health of Long Island Sound and its wildlife populations through various conservation projects.

Long Island Sound Futures Fund | NFWF Long Island Sound Futures Fund Long Island Sound Futures Fund 2026 Request for Proposals The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Long Island Sound Futures Fund supports projects to fully restore the health and living resources of Long Island Sound.

It operates within a partnership of federal and state agencies, foundations, non-governmental organizations, educational institutions, user groups, and individuals dedicated to restoring and protecting the Sound.

Stretching more than 110 miles into the Atlantic, with 600 miles of coastline, the Long Island Sound is an estuary that provides economic and recreational benefits to millions of people while also providing habitat for more than 1,200 invertebrates, 170 species of fish and dozens of species of migratory birds.

All 9 million people who live, work, and play in the watershed impacting the Sound can benefit from and help build on the progress that has already been made to restore its health and living resources. The vision for the Sound is of waters that are clean, clear, safe to swim in, and charged with life.

It is a vision of waters nourished and protected by extensive coastal wetlands, by publicly accessible, litter-free beaches and preserves, and of undeveloped islands. It is a vision of abundant and diverse wildlife, of flourishing commercial fisheries, of harbors accessible to the boating community, and of a regional consciousness and a way of life that protects and sustains the ecosystem.

The LISFF supports efforts to test innovative approaches to conservation, deliver transformative projects and support people and communities who value the sound and take a direct role in its future. Funding priorities for this program include: Clean Waters and Healthy Watersheds: Improving water quality by reducing pollution from the waters that flow into and the land which surrounds the Sound.

Thriving Habitats and Abundant Wildlife: Restoring coastal habitats to maintain resilience and function and to support populations of fish, birds and wildlife; and sustain the ecological balance of the Sound in a healthy, productive and resilient state for the benefit of people, wildlife and the natural environment.

Sustainable and Resilient Communities: Supporting vibrant, informed, and engaged communities that use, appreciate, and help protect and sustain the Sound. Launched in 2005, the Futures Fund has invested $80 million in 688 projects. This has been leveraged by $87 million in matching contributions from grantees for a total conservation impact of $167 million.

The projects have reduced 130,000 pounds of nitrogen from entering the Sound, restored 887 acres of fish and wildlife habitat, treated 217. 2 million gallons of stormwater pollution and engaged over 5 million people in protecting the Sound. The program is managed by National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Long Island Sound Partnership (LISP).

Major funding is from EPA through the LISS with additional funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Zoetis Foundation.

Long Island Sound Futures Fund 2026 Request for Proposals Independent Evaluation of the Long Island Sound Futures Fund Program Request for Proposals - CLOSED Long Island Sound Futures Fund 2025 Request for Proposals - CLOSED Long Island Sound Futures Fund 15-Year Report Long Island Sound Futures Fund Projects 2005-2017 Quality Assurance Project Plan Development Guidance QAPP Training Webinar Recording QAPP Training Webinar Slides Map of Grants for 2005–2024 Program Director, Northeast Watersheds Senior Manager, Northeast Watersheds Senior Coordinator, Northeast Region Programs Alewife and blueback herring—collectively known as river herring—are diadromous fishes that spend most of their lives at sea but return to river and streams to spawn.

Once abundant throughout the Atlantic seaboard, river herring populations have declined due to overfishing and habitat loss associated with the construction of dams. Recent conservation efforts have seen millions of river herring return to streams throughout New England, a promising sign not just for river herring, but also myriad other species that rely on them as an important food source.

Bring Back the Native Fish Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund Long Island Sound Futures Fund Northeast Forests and Rivers Fund Delaware River Watershed Business Plan Chesapeake Bay Business Plan Credit: MassWildlife/Bill Byrne Credit: MassWildlife/Bill Byrne The American shad is an anadromous fish that can be found in rivers and coastal waters along the entire Atlantic coast.

Once supporting a large commercial fishery, shad have declined in abundance following decades of overfishing and the construction of dams along migration routes, which reduces access to spawning habitat.

Bring Back the Native Fish Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund Long Island Sound Futures Fund Northeast Forests and Rivers Fund Delaware River Watershed Business Plan The American oystercatcher is a stocky shorebird who is characterized as a short-distance migrant whose movements are confined to the United States and adjacent Caribbean islands.

The oystercatcher wades in shallow water and uses its powerful bill to pry open and feed on mollusks, so protecting and restoring near-shore feeding grounds are critical for this species.

Atlantic Flyway Shorebird Initiative Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund Long Island Sound Futures Fund National Coastal Resilience Fund Atlantic Flyway Shorebirds Business Plan NFWF Announces Nearly $12 Million in Grants from Long Island Sound Futures Fund More than $12 Million in Grants Awarded to Improve the Environment of Long Island Sound New project is ‘Putting the Oyster Back in Oyster Bay’