The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced $350,000 in competitive funding is now available to help communities in the Finger Lakes watershed restore and protect water quality.
Donor Name: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
State: New York
County: Selected Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 07/21/2023
Size of the Grant: $25,000 – $50,000
Grant Duration: 2 years
Details:
The grants are supported by the State’s Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) and administered under DEC’s Finger Lakes Watershed Grants Program.
New York has made significant investments to improve water quality and their natural resources across the state. The grants provide another boost to the Finger Lakes and their watershed communities.
Funding will be used to implement the following project types to restore and protect water quality: monitoring and research to better understand and address the issues and vulnerabilities facing the Finger Lakes; planning and implementation of best management practices; and education and outreach to increase understanding of Finger Lakes’ natural resources, build community involvement, and encourage future stewardship.
The Finger Lakes Watershed Hub works to protect and improve water quality by supporting the following priorities in the Finger Lakes:
- monitoring and research to better understand and address the issues and vulnerabilities;
- clean water planning;
- implementing best management practices; and
- education and outreach.
Funding Information
- Approximately $350,000 is available for Finger Lakes Watershed Grants – Round 1. Funding for this grant opportunity is provided by the NYS Environmental Protection Fund
- Grant awards ranging from $25,000 to $50,000 are available
- All projects must have defined objectives, tasks, and deliverables accounted for in performance measures that can be completed and invoiced within a two-year contract period, within the available term dates of August 11, 2023 through March 29, 2026.
Eligible Project Locations
The Finger Lakes watershed lies entirely within the boundaries of New York State and includes parts of the following counties: Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Livingston, Onondaga, Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins, and Yates.
Eligibility Criteria
- For the purposes of this grant program, the following entities are considered eligible applicants: 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, Academic institutions dedicated to education and research, which grant higher education academic degrees, and 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporations (NFP) whose projects are located within the eligible geographic boundaries defined in this Request For Applications (RFA).
- For this grant opportunity, a NFP is subject to New York State’s Not-For-Profit Corporation Law, is qualified for tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Federal Internal Revenue Code, has an IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter to be incorporated in New York State and is current in their charities reporting requirements with the Office of the Attorney General.
- Applicants must possess the knowledge, skills, and /or track record to successfully implement the project.
- Individuals and unincorporated groups may not apply, but an eligible nonprofit organization, known as a fiscal sponsor, may apply on behalf of an individual or unincorporated group.
- A fiscal sponsor is a New York State nonprofit organization that applies to DEC on behalf of individuals or unincorporated organizations or groups. The fiscal sponsor accepts responsibility to serve as a fiscal conduit for a DEC-funded project, receiving and disbursing funds related to the grant, and administering the requirements throughout the DEC grant process, including final reporting of grant activity. The unincorporated artist or group completes the project activity.
- If a proposed project involves a cooperative agreement or partners, only one eligible, designated lead applicant can submit the application for grant funding. The lead applicant must assume the responsibility for the project application, performance of work consistent with this RFA, and the State of New York Master Contract for Grants. Letters substantiating the collaboration from each partner are required. These letters are to be uploaded to the Grants Gateway in a single PDF under the appropriate Program Question for the application.
For more information, visit NYSDEC.
