Grant Resources
Below are links and information about funding resources within the NYC Watershed. These programs are funded from a number of different federal, state, and local sources. If you have any questions about these programs please contact Greene County SWCD.
To view information on agricultural grant programs in Greene County, please visit out Agricultural Programs page.
Stream Management Plan Implementation Program (SMIP)
Guided by stream stewardship principles, the Schoharie Watershed Program offers assistance to local communities, residents, and organizations to advance recommendations from Schoharie Basin Stream Management Plans. Categories of funding include: Recreation and Stream Habitat Improvements, Education on Watershed Protection, Highway and Infrastructure Improvement, Planning & Assessment, Landowner Stream Assistance, and Creative Stormwater Practices & Critical Area Seeding.
Catskill Streams Buffer Initiative
The overall goal of the Catskill Streams Buffer Initiative (CSBI) is to inform and assist landowners in better stewardship of their riparian (streamside) area through protection, enhancement, management, or restoration. The Department of Environmental Protection and its partners (County Soil & Water Conservation Districts and Cornell Cooperative Extension) will assist private, riparian landowners throughout the West of Hudson Watershed by providing:
- Riparian Corridor Management Plans to create awareness about riparian management issues specific to individual properties.
- Best management practice design and/or prescriptive measures and installation to encourage positive riparian stewardship.
- Educational materials and activities as needed by landowners to understand the critical role of their buffer and how to maintain it in optimal functioning condition.
More information on CSBI and application materials
Background resources and educational materials on riparian buffers
Catskill Watershed Corporation Grant Programs
The 1997 New York City Watershed Memorandum of Agreement required the development of 14 city-funded environmental protection and economic development programs in the Watershed West of the Hudson River as part of a pact that allowed the City to avoid filtering its Catskill-Delaware Water Supply. In November 2002, a renewed five-year Filtration Avoidance Determination was granted to the City by the US Environmental Protection Agency, permitting a continued exemption from building a filtration plant for the Catskill-Delaware Supply. The 2002 FAD was predicated on a long-term Watershed Protection Plan submitted by the City to the EPA outlining several water quality programs to be developed, continued or expanded by the CWC. In 2007, a new 10 year FAD was based on an updated Watershed Protection Plan.
Ongoing programs for which the CWC is responsible under all of these MOA agreements include:
Catskill Fund for the Future (Economic Development): Provides loans and grants to businesses and organizations.
Septic Repair and Maintenance: Funds residential septic system repairs, replacements, and maintenance (pump-outs).
Stormwater Planning and Control: Funds planning, assessment, design and implementation of stormwater and erosion controls for existing conditions, as well as stormwater requirements for new construction.
Education: Provides grants to schools and organizations.
Community Wastewater Management: Funds a program to evaluate and build community-specific wastewater solutions which may include septic maintenance districts, community septic systems or wastewater treatment plants.
Other Programs: Including the Land Consultation Program and the Tax Consulting Program.
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation NYC Watershed Protection Program
The New York City Watershed Protection Program provides financial assistance for projects as a part of the watershed program for protection and enhancement of the quality of source waters of the New York City water supply system. New York State (NYS) and the federal government provide funding grants for these projects. The funds are administered by the NYS DEC through the Water Quality Improvement Program (WQIP).
NYC Watershed Funding Opportunities
Funding categories focus on the following types of project activities:
- NYC Watershed WQIP: Projects build on watershed protection efforts helping to improve water quality while enhancing and preserving the economy and rural character of local communities. Click link for more about project eligibility requirements and to apply.
- Statewide WQIP: Projects focus on water quality monitoring and surveillance, and research projects. Click link for more about project eligibility requirements and to apply.
- Federal Safe Drinking Water Act funds: Projects focus on water quality monitoring and surveillance, and research projects.
More about Funding Sources for NYC Watershed Projects:
The Federal Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) Funding Program: Information about federal funding grants through the Water Resource Development Act (WRDA).
Watershed Agricultural Council Grant Programs
The Watershed Agricultural Council (WAC) is a nonprofit organization with the mission to support the economic viability of agriculture and forestry through the protection of water quality and the promotion of land conservation in the New York City watershed region. WAC is funded by New York City Department of Environmental Protection, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Forest Service and other federal and foundation sources.
The WAC is internationally recognized as a successful example of public-private partnership. Watershed management that benefits the general public is achieved through incentivized, on-site practices performed on private lands; this partnership model is referred to as “Payment for EcoServices,” or PES. Through PES, private landowners are surface-water stewards of New York City’s drinking water.
To help farmers, forest professionals, and private landholders address water pollution concerns on properties located in the Croton and Catskill/Delaware watersheds, the WAC uses