Nonpoint Source Funding Programs
These tables list a number of state, federal and other programs that may fund nonpoint source projects. A link to each funding source's website, the name of the funding agency, a description of eligible applicants, and a basic description of the funding program and how it may relate to nonpoint sources of pollution are provided.
This information was obtained from funding program websites, and typically reflects the information that was available in recent funding cycles. Priorities for individual funding programs may vary from cycle to cycle. We aim to keep this information up to date but funding programs change frequently, and the best source for current, detailed information is through the funding agency/organization. Other funding programs that include green infrastructure may exist, particularly through federal and other organizations.
Let us know about other nonpoint source funding sources by emailing: nonpointsource@dec.ny.gov.
Non-agricultural Nonpoint Source Funding Sources
| Program | Agency | Eligible Applicants | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund | National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) | Non-profit 501© organizations, local governments and agencies, state government agencies and academic institutions. Projects must be implemented entirely within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. | Grants to restore the habitats and water quality of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. |
| Delaware River Restoration Fund | National Fish and Wildlife Foundation | Non-profit organizations and local governments. Projects must be implemented entirely within the Delaware River watershed. | Funding to improve water quality and habitat in the Delaware River watershed. |
| Great Lakes Shoreline Cities Green Infrastructure Grants | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | Cities with shoreline that directly touches one of the Great Lakes or a connecting channel, with a population greater than 25,000 and less than 50,000. | Funding to improve urban water quality through activities that also support community revitalization and other local priorities. |
| Great Lakes Restoration Initiative | Various federal agencies, including U.S. EPA and the U.S. Forest Service | Non-federal governmental entities, including state agencies, interstate agencies, federal-recognized Indian tribes and tribal organizations, and local governments; institutions of higher learning; and nonprofit organizations. | Green infrastructure projects that improve habitat and other ecosystem functions in the Great Lakes are eligible for funding. |
| Hazard Mitigation Grant Program | FEMA, administered by NYS Office of Emergency Management | States, territories, federal-recognized Indian tribes, local communities, private nonprofit organizations | Helps communities implement hazard mitigation measures following a Presidential major disaster declaration. This is a federal grant that is administered by the state. May fund green infrastructure if a benefit-cost analysis shows that the damages saved from the project exceed the cost of the project. |
| Long Island Sound Futures Fund | National Fish and Wildlife Foundation | Non-profit 501© organizations; state, federal-recognized Indian tribes, and local governments; and academic or educational institutions. | Supports projects in local communities to protect and restore the Long Island Sound. Green infrastructure has been a funding priority in previous RFPs. |
| Urban Waters Small Grants | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | States, local governments, territories, federal-recognized Indian tribes, and possessions of the U.S., public and private universities and colleges, public or private nonprofit institutions/organizations, intertribal consortia, and interstate agencies. | Funding to improve urban water quality through activities that also support community revitalization and other local priorities. RFPs may include green infrastructure. |
| Program | Agency | Eligible Applicants | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clean Water Act Section 604(b) | NYS DEC | Regional public comprehensive planning organizations in New York State and interstate planning organizations working in New York State | Provides funding for to regional planning organizations for planning activities |
| Community Development Block Grant | NYS Homes and Community Renewal | Municipalities and not-for-profit corporations with a 501©(3) designation. Projects must be within the Hudson River estuary geographic boundaries. | Funding for drinking water, clean water and stormwater, and public works. Green infrastructure components may be a part of larger public infrastructure projects funded through this program. |
| Environmental Justice Community Impact Grant Program | NYS DEC | Community-based organizations that must also meet several other criteria, as explained on the program website. | Provides community-based organizations with funding for environmental and public health concerns. Previously awarded projects have included green infrastructure projects. |
| Green Innovation Grant Program | NYS Environmental Facilities Corporation | Any county, city, town, village, district corporation, county or town improvement district, Indian reservation wholly within NYS, any public benefit corporation, public authority and certain New York State agencies, as well as other organizations empowered to develop a project, as described on the program website. | Supports projects that utilize unique stormwater infrastructure design and create cutting-edge green technologies. Funding for eight specific green infrastructure practices. |
| Hudson River Estuary Program Grants | NYS DEC | Municipalities and not-for-profit corporations with a 501©(3) designation. Projects must be within the Hudson River estuary geographic boundaries. | Implement priorities outlined in the Hudson River Estuary Action Agenda aimed at: conserving or improving clean water; fish, wildlife and their habitats; waterway access; community resiliency; and river scenery. Previously awarded projects have included green infrastructure. |
| Local Waterfront Revitalization Program Grants | NYS Department of State | Villages, towns, or cities, and counties which are located along New York's costs or inland waterways designated pursuant to Executive Law, Article 42. | Matching grants to revitalize communities and waterfronts. Funded projects may include green infrastructure components. |
| Urban & Community Forestry Program Cost Share Grants | NYS DEC | Municipalities and not-for-profit corporations acting on behalf of a public ownership interest in the property or acting on behalf of a public property owner. | Assistance to communities in comprehensive planning, management, and education to create healthy urban and community forests. Street tree planting, one eligible project type, may fit well with green infrastructure projects. |
| Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) Program | NYS DEC | Municipalities, municipal corporations, soil and water conservation districts | Competitive, reimbursement grant program for projects that reduce polluted runoff, improve water quality and restore habitat. |
| Program | Agency | Eligible Applicants | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onondaga County "Save the Rain" Program: Suburban Green Infrastructure Program | Onondaga County Department of Water Environment Protection | Municipal entities within Onondaga County that are planning projects to reduced inflow and infiltration to the sanitary sewer system. Projects must be on municipal property within the Onondaga County sewer system. | Supports the development of green infrastructure and stormwater mitigation techniques on public property within the Onondaga County sanitary sewer district but outside the City of Syracuse. |
Agricultural Nonpoint Source Funding Sources
| Program | Agency | Eligible Applicants | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) | USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) | Landowners with eligible land | The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) provides financial and technical assistance to help conserve agricultural lands and wetlands and their related benefits. Under the Agricultural Land Easements component, NRCS helps Indian tribes, state and local governments and non-governmental organizations protect working agricultural lands and limit non-agricultural uses of the land. Under the Wetlands Reserve Easements component, NRCS helps to restore, protect and enhance enrolled wetlands. |
| Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) Program | USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) | Landowners with eligible land | The Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers to voluntarily address issues such as water management, water quality, and erosion control by incorporating conservation into their farming operations. |
| Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) | USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) | Landowners with eligible land | CRP is a voluntary program for agricultural landowners. Through CRP, farmers can receive annual rental payments and cost-share assistance to establish long-term, resource conserving covers on eligible farmland. |
| Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) | USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) | Landowners with eligible land |
The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) is an offshoot of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). CREP targets high-priority conservation issues identified by local, state, or tribal governments or non- governmental organizations. In exchange for removing environmentally sensitive land from production and introducing conservation practices, farmers, ranchers, and agricultural land owners are paid an annual rental rate and incentive payments. |
| Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) | USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) | Landowners with eligible land | The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) helps agricultural producers maintain and improve their existing conservation systems and adopt additional conservation activities to address priority resources concerns. |
| Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) | USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) | Landowners with eligible land | The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers to plan and implement conservation practices that improve soil, water, plant, animal, air and related natural resources on agricultural land and non-industrial private forestland. EQIP may also help producers meet Federal, State, Tribal, and local environmental regulations. |
| Farmable Wetlands Program (FWP) | USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) | Landowners with eligible land | The Farmable Wetlands Program (FWP) is a voluntary program is designed to restore previously farmed wetlands and wetland buffer to improve both vegetation and water flow. Participants must agree to restore the wetlands, establish plant cover, and to not use enrolled land for commercial purposes. |
| Healthy Forests Reserve Program (HFRP) | USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) | Landowners with eligible land | The purpose of the Healthy Forests Reserve Program (HFRP) is to assist landowners, on a voluntary basis, in restoring, enhancing and protecting forestland resources on private lands through easements, 30-year contracts and 10-year cost-share agreements. |
| Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations (WFPO) Program | USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) | States, local governments and Tribes | The Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations (WFPO) Program provides technical and financial assistance to plan and implement authorized watershed project plans for the purpose of: watershed protection, flood mitigation, water quality improvements, soil erosion reduction, rural, municipal and industrial water supply, irrigation, water management, sediment control, fish and wildlife enhancement, and hydropower. |
| Program | Agency | Eligible Applicants | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York State Agricultural Environmental Management (AEM) Program | NYS Soil and Water Conservation Committee | County Soil and Water Conservation Districts | SWCDs engage local partners such as Cooperative Extension, NRCS, AEM Certified Planners, Certified Crop Advisors, USDA Technical Service Providers, and agri-businesses |
| Agricultural Nonpoint Source Abatement and Control Program (ANSACP) | NYS Soil and Water Conservation Committee | County Soil and Water Conservation Districts | Competitive financial assistance program available to Soil and Water Conservation Districts that provides funding to plan, design, and implement priority BMPs, as well as cost-share funding to farmers to implement BMPs. |
