2026 Small Grants for Watershed Education and Stewardship
2026 Small Grants for Watershed Education and Stewardship support local watershed leaders with education, outreach, and stewardship projects to protect Hudson River Estuary tributaries and watersheds.
Funder: NEIWPCC
Due Dates: December 4, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. (Proposals)
Funding Amounts: $1,000–$10,000 per award; approximately $50,000 available; projects completed by December 31, 2027
Summary: Supports community-led education, outreach, and stewardship protecting Hudson River Estuary tributaries and watersheds.
Key Information: Applicants must be within Hudson River Estuary Management Program boundaries and coordinate with an existing watershed group.
Description
NEIWPCC, in coordination with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Hudson River Estuary Management Program, supports community-led projects that engage the public and stakeholders in watershed conservation. Projects should advance the Clean Hudson River Water and Healthy Tributaries goals of the Hudson River Estuary Action Agenda 2026–2030 through restoration, flood resilience, drinking water source protection, and best management practices.
Supported work includes education events, interpretive signs, digital content and maps, cleanups, riparian buffer planting and maintenance, and invasive species removal. Projects may also strengthen intermunicipal watershed cooperation, improve municipal land-use policies, implement watershed or drinking water protection plan priorities, or inform dam owners about removal feasibility. Priority goes to local, community-based watershed leadership, with additional scoring points for engagement of underrepresented groups and benefits to disadvantaged communities or potential environmental justice areas.
