Contact:

Antoinette Clemetson, NYSG Marine Fisheries Specialist, E: aoc5@cornell.edu, P: (631) 824-4407

Instructions to Apply for Funding

1. Visit the Marine and Coastal District of New York Small Grants Program website at www.nyseagrant.org/marinesmallgrants

• Look under Related Links column and click on “2026 Funding Request for Proposals” 

2. Download the announcement containing information and instructions to prepare your application.  

• 2026 MCD Announcement (pdf)

3. Download the forms available on this website to prepare your application. 

• 2026 MCD Application (pdf)

• 2026 MCD 90-4 Budget 1-year (xlsm)

• 2026 MCD Budget Justification (pdf)

4. Register for the Guidance Webinar

5. Complete all documents to support the application package.

6. Submit your application on eSea Grant. 

• Download the eSea Grant User Guidelines — 2026 eSea Grant User Guidelines (pdf)

• Follow the instructions to create a new account (first time users) and submit the application.

 
Note: It takes ~10 minutes to submit the application on eSea Grant, and users are strongly encouraged to have all documents available before proceeding with this step.  



New York State Marine and Coastal District (MCD) map. Source: NYSDEC
Note: The Tappan Zee Bridge was replaced with the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge that opened in 2017, and the MCD border remains the same.

New York Sea Grant and NYSDEC Announce $85,000 in Small Grants Available for Marine and Coastal Projects

Applications from New York non-profit organizations for conservation, education, and research small grants are due May 19, 2026

New York, NY, March 31, 2026 – New York Sea Grant (NYSG), in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), announces the availability of $85,000 in small grants funding to support projects advancing the mission of the Marine and Coastal District of New York (MCD) Conservation, Education, and Research Board. The grants support projects that help increase participation in marine recreational fishing and promote research, public awareness, and appreciation of the State’s marine and estuarine resources, and encourage conservation of marine fisheries. 

• Applications for these small grants are due May 19, 2026, at 5:00 PM EST.

• MCD will host an applicant guidance webinar on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. Interested parties are encouraged to register for the webinar here.

• Grants will be administered as Cost Reimbursable Awards (CRA), with project budgets ranging between $1,000 to $15,000.

• Projects selected for funding must be completed within 12 months. 

• Grant applications are due by May 19, 2026.

• Full details about the grant opportunity, including project eligibility requirements, are available above on this page.  

“Maintaining and managing New York State’s living marine, estuarine and anadromous resources is vital to protecting and enhancing our region’s diverse and self-sustaining populations for future generations,” DEC Division of Marine Resources Director Martin Gary said. "DEC’s continued partnership with NYSG is helping achieve our conservation and recreation objectives and new projects funded by these grants will provide New Yorkers with more opportunities to enjoy the uniqueness of our coastline."

The MCD’s Environmental Custom License Plate initiative entirely funds this small grant program, with $25 of each annual vanity plate fee supporting the MCD Conservation, Education, and Research Fund. Information on how to order a custom MCD vanity plate is available on the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles website. 

“As a subscriber to the license plate myself, I’m proud that NYSG partners with the DEC on this dynamic and impactful program that benefits the people and communities that rely on and enjoy New York’s marine waters, coasts, and associated resources,” said Director of NYSG Becky Shuford. “Purchases of the plate support important services for coastal and marine conservation and communities in New York, including opportunities for environmental stewardship, education, and sustainable use and conservation of natural resources.”  

“We are thrilled to be involved in a second round of this funding opportunity,” said MCD Research Board Chair Melissa Dearborn. “Six projects were supported in 2019 to deliver wonderfully diverse and engaging projects across the Marine and Coastal District. We thank the New Yorkers who subscribed to the MCD license plate, making this small grant program possible as a testament of our commitment to stewardship by way of community involvement, to conserve the resources that define our beautiful coastal region.”  

One project funded in 2019 was an ADA-Complaint Bait Station. Friends of the East River Esplanade constructed the El Barrio Bait Station, enabling anglers along the East Harlem Esplanade to clean and safely handle their catch, and use the guide to identify common fish. The ADA-compliant prototype designed by Jacobschang Architecture uses solar power to accommodate anglers who fish after dark, and a pump to supply non-potable water to clean catch. 

Eligible projects include youth marine fishing camps or clubs; coastal and shoreline cleanups and other coastal restoration activities to improve shoreline access; citizen science; signage; programs to increase public awareness about marine and coastal sport fishing and heritage; piloting technology or methods to support conservation; activities to increase engagement in fisheries management planning; and developing tools to improve public access to marine and coastal resources and related services.
 
More Info: Marine and Coastal Small Grants

These small grant proposals are intended for 501(c) non-profit organizations based in New York, including but not limited to non-governmental organizations (NGOs), educational and higher education institutions, museum and nature center programs, and civic, trade and family organizations and groups. NYSG and DEC are specifically looking for project proposals that “promote sport fishing, increase participation in recreational angling, increase public awareness and appreciation of aquatic natural resources, encourage conservation of fisheries resources, or promote research relating to the marine and coastal district of New York” (NYS ECL 13-0501). 

Project proposals that are not relevant to marine and coastal issues, attempt to limit user access, promote a specific private entity, or focus on freshwater ponds, lakes and rivers are not eligible for funding. Private entities and individuals are also not eligible to apply.

More information on ordering a Marine and Coastal District of New York plate can be found at the state Department of Motor Vehicles. The grants promote marine sport fishing, increase participation in marine recreational angling, increase public awareness and appreciation of marine and estuarine natural resources, encourage conservation of marine fisheries resources, and promote research and increased knowledge of the state's marine and estuarine natural resources. For updates on this license plate and its impacts, please visit the Facebook and Instagram pages, both maintained by the MCD Research Board.

DEC was authorized through NYS Environmental Conservation Law (ECL) to establish this small grants program. Please visit the MCD Small Grant Program website for more information about the 2026 funding opportunity (www.nyseagrant.org/marinesmallgrants).

More Info: New York Sea Grant

New York Sea Grant (NYSG) is a university-based, statewide Federal-State collaboration between the State University of New York (SUNY), Cornell University, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It is one of 34 university-based programs that connects research, extension, and education with the needs of coastal communities, environments, and economies through NOAA. 

Since 1971, NYSG has supported science-based solutions for a wide range of water-related challenges and opportunities across the state. Through NYSG’s efforts, university scientists and extension specialists help develop and transfer science and technical information to educational institutions, businesses, agencies, and industries; federal, state and local governments; the media; and the interested public. The program is administratively based at Stony Brook University (SBU) and Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). 

NYSG historically leverages on average a 5.5-fold return on each invested federal dollar, annually. The State benefits from this, as these resources are invested in Sea Grant staff and their work in communities right here in New York.

New York Sea Grant, one of the largest of the state Sea Grant programs, 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.

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.

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 quarterly.