The Long Island Sound Futures Fund (LISFF) is seeking proposals to restore the health and living resources of Long Island Sound.
Donor Name: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF)
State: New York
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/19/2026
Size of the Grant: More than $1 million
Grant Duration: 3 Years
Details:
The program is managed by National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Long Island Sound Partnership (LIS Partnership). Major funding is from EPA through the LIS Partnership.
Priorities
- CCMP: Clean Waters and Healthy Watersheds Restore and maintain water quality in Long Island Sound and its watershed.
- Improve water quality by reducing nitrogen pollution, combined sewer overflows, impervious cover, stormwater runoff and point and nonpoint source loading into Long Island Sound through:
- Implementation of “shovel-ready” projects should result in quantifiable pollutant prevention. The most competitive projects will be those that address water quality at a larger or more comprehensive scale such as a neighborhood, waterfront or downtown. Proposals must describe plans for long-term maintenance.
- Planning activities that set-the-stage for implementation of water quality projects including: 1) community engagement, planning and prioritization, 2) feasibility, suitability or alternatives analyses, 3) site assessment and conceptual design, 4) final design/permitting
- Projects must document the benefit to Long Island Sound, educate the community about the water quality benefits of the project and describe resources for long-term maintenance.
- Improve water quality by reducing nitrogen pollution, combined sewer overflows, impervious cover, stormwater runoff and point and nonpoint source loading into Long Island Sound through:
- CCMP: Thriving Habitats and Abundant Wildlife Restore and protect the health and resilience of habitats and wildlife in Long Island Sound and its ecosystems.
- Projects must document the benefit to Long Island Sound, educate the community about the water quality benefits of the project and describe resources for long-term maintenance.
- Implement “shovel-ready” habitat restoration and/or nature-based or hybrid projects. Proposals will be asked to describe plans for long-term maintenance
- Planning for implementation of projects including: 1) community engagement, planning and prioritization, 2) feasibility, suitability or alternatives analyses, 3) site assessment and conceptual design, and 4) final design and permits
- Fostering balanced and abundant populations of fish, birds and wildlife that consider the LIS Partnership Habitat Restoration Guidelines to inform development.
- Projects must document the benefit to Long Island Sound, educate the community about the water quality benefits of the project and describe resources for long-term maintenance.
- CCMP: Sustainable and Resilient Communities Empower Long Island Sound communities to plan for and respond to environmental challenges in ways that prioritize well-being for all.
- Projects must document the benefit to Long Island Sound communities as well as the health of the Sound, engage with the local community about resilience benefits of the project and describe resources for long-term maintenance.
- Implement initiatives to improve community resilience to flooding and other environmental challenges.
- Implement projects increasing the number of communities that identify key resilience priorities through local or regional community-driven planning processes
- Develop and implement sustainability and resiliency plans for new and existing development, housing, transportation, emissions control, energy efficiency, and job creation programs for all municipalities
- Proposals will be asked to describe plans for long-term maintenance.
- Projects must document the benefit to Long Island Sound communities as well as the health of the Sound, engage with the local community about resilience benefits of the project and describe resources for long-term maintenance.
Funding Information
There are multiple funding categories under the LISFF each with a different range of grant funding.
- Implementation Projects: $50,000 to $2 million for projects with particularly high environmental community benefit relative to cost, including:
- Water quality, habitat restoration and resilience projects
- Projects with the greatest promise to demonstrate, influence, pilot, innovate and/or provide a proof of concept with the aim of accelerating local and regional water quality improvements, natural resource restoration, coastal resilience and/or community and public outreach/engagement Design/Planning Projects: $50,000 to $500,000 for:
- Water quality or habitat restoration projects
- Watershed plans
- Community resilience/sustainability/natural hazard mitigation plans (See Figure 1) Outreach, Education and Public Participation Projects: $50,000 to $500,000.
Grant Period
Grants must start within six months and be completed within 24 months after notification of grant award. Project completion dates for projects may be adjusted to reflect the school year for educational projects. Education projects must be completed within 36 months after notification of grant award. Larger-scale complex implementation must be completed within 36 months after notification of the grant award. Notification of award is projected to be November 2026.
Geographic Focus
All proposed projects must be within the Long Island Sound Watershed boundary:
- Habitat restoration and stewardship projects must fall within the Long Island Sound Coastal Watershed boundary in Connecticut (CT) and New York (NY)
- Resilience, water quality and fish passage projects may be in any portion of the Long Island Sound Partnership Area in CT and NY
- Education and outreach projects may be in any portion of the Long Island Sound Partnership Area in CT and NY. Projects may also occur in communities outside this boundary in those states as long as content concerns the health and living resources of the Sound
- Nitrogen/nutrient prevention projects may occur anywhere in the Sound watershed of CT, NY, Massachusetts (MA), New Hampshire (NH), and Vermont (VT).
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible applicants include non-profit 501(c) organizations, state government agencies, local government, municipal government, Tribal Governments and Organizations, and educational institutions.
- Ineligible applicants include U.S. Federal government agencies, businesses, and unincorporated individuals.
For more information, visit NFWF.
