Contact:

Megan Kocher, NYSG Great Lakes Outreach Coordinator, E: mk2236@cornell.edu, P: (716) 270-2490

Lori Severino, NYSDEC's Press Office, E: PressOffice@dec.ny.gov, P:(518) 402-8000

NOTES: 

• The 2025 application deadline for New York’s Great Lakes Basin Small Grants Program is March 27, 2026, at 4:30 PM. For more, See the Great Lakes Small Grants Hub's "Apply for Funding" page.

• Interested applicants are encouraged to join New York Sea Grant’s informational webinar on January 27, 2026, at 12 p.m. to learn more about the project requirements and application process. Register with New York Sea Grant at nyseagrant.org/glsmallgrants.  

Projects to Restore and Protect Great Lakes Lands and Waters Locally

Buffalo, NY, January 12, 2026 - The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and New York Sea Grant today announced that $200,000 in funding is available for projects benefitting New York’s Great Lakes basin by demonstrating the application of ecosystem-based management approaches to local watershed challenges. 

“The Great Lakes are vital to our region by supporting vibrant ecosystems, clean drinking water, and local economies. DEC is proud to work with New York Sea Grant and our partners to advance implementation of the New York Great Lakes Action Agenda,” said DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton. “These grants announced today provide another boost to support locally driven efforts that benefit New York’s Great Lakes communities and protect this vital resource.”

Projects selected will implement the goals of New York’s Great Lakes Action Agenda and address actions specifically identified in locally supported water quality, natural resources, or sustainable land use plans.

New York Sea Grant Associate Director and Cornell University Cooperative Extension Assistant Director Katherine Bunting-Howarth, Ph.D., J.D. said, “This partnership between New York Sea Grant and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation provides communities in New York’s Great Lakes region with funding for projects that are increasing their resilience and enhancing their local environment and ecosystem resources that are vital components of coastal community economies.”

Those eligible to apply include municipalities, Indian Nations, not-for-profit organizations, regional planning councils, soil and water conservation districts, and educational institutions. Please review the Request for Proposal for additional details on eligibility.


Accessible canoe/kayak launch installed at the foot of South Ontario St. in the Village of Sodus Point. Credit: Village of Sodus Point (2019)

The New York Great Lakes Basin Small Grants Program supports stakeholder-driven efforts to restore and revitalize the State’s Great Lakes region using ecosystem-based management and is funded through the New York State Environmental Protection Fund, under the authority of the New York Ocean and Great Lakes Ecosystem Conservation Act. New York Sea Grant administers the New York Great Lakes Basin Small Grants Program in partnership with DEC's Great Lakes Program. 

For more information on New York's Great Lakes Action Agenda, visit DEC’s website. More information on New York Great Lakes Basin Small Grants projects and other New York Great Lakes-related information is available at New York Sea Grant’s website.


More Info: New York Sea Grant

Established in 1966, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s National Sea Grant College Program promotes the informed stewardship of coastal resources in 34 joint federal/state university-based programs in every U.S. coastal state (marine and Great Lakes) and Puerto Rico. The Sea Grant model has also inspired similar projects in the Pacific region, Korea and Indonesia.

Since 1971, New York Sea Grant (NYSG) has represented a statewide network of integrated research, education and extension services promoting coastal community economic vitality, environmental sustainability and citizen awareness and understanding about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources.

NYSG historically leverages on average a 3 to 6-fold return on each invested federal dollar, annually. We benefit from this, as these resources are invested in Sea Grant staff and their work in communities right here in New York.

Through NYSG’s efforts, the combined talents of university scientists and extension specialists help develop and transfer science-based information to many coastal user groups—businesses and industries, federal, state and local government decision-makers and agency managers, educators, the media and the interested public.

New York Sea Grant, one of the largest of the state Sea Grant programs, is a cooperative program of the State University of New York (SUNY) and Cornell University. The program maintains Great Lakes offices at Cornell University, SUNY Buffalo, Rochester Institute of Technology, SUNY Oswego, the Wayne County Cooperative Extension office in Newark, and in Watertown. In the State's marine waters, NYSG has offices at Stony Brook University and with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County on Long Island, in Queens, at Brooklyn College, with Cornell Cooperative Extension in NYC, in Bronx, with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County in Kingston, and with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester County in Elmsford.

For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org, follow us on social media (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, Bluesky, LinkedIn, and YouTube). NYSG offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/nycoastlines for its flagship publication, NY Coastlines/Currents, which it publishes 2-3 times a year.