New 2023 Long Island Sound Resilience Planning and UPDATED Grant Writing Support Opportunities

NOTE: See each opportunity below for specific requirements and deadline for grant submissions.

NOTE: Virtual informational webinars were held on:

• November 8th, 2023 10 - 11 AM for NY applicants | View the recording below or click here



• November 13th, 2023 3 - 4 PM for Connecticut applicants | View the recording below or click here



For more information or questions contact: LISresilience@gmail.com

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Contacts:

Elizabeth Hornstein, Sustainable and Resilient Communities (SRC) Specialist, Suffolk County, E: eeh78@cornell.edu

Sarah Schaefer-Brown, SRC Specialist, Nassau County, E: scs292@cornell.edu 

Sara Powell, SRC Specialist, Westchester County, E: slp285@cornell.edu 

Stony Brook, NY, October 16, 2023 — A new LIS Resilience Planning Support Program in addition to a second round of the Long Island Sound (LIS) Resilience Grant Writing Assistance Program are now available for municipalities and community organizations! 

These programs are intended to assist with the development of sustainability and resilience focused projects that will impact a community(ies) within or partially within the Long Island Sound Coastal boundary (see map image below for LIS Coastal boundary in pink).



These opportunities are supported by funding from the US EPA through the Long Island Sound Study (LISS) and administered through New York Sea Grant (NYSG) and Connecticut Sea Grant (CTSG).

NYSG and CTSG announce two separate Program Tracks:

Track One: Long Island Sound Resilience Planning Support Program

Access the Request for Expressions of Interest here.

Deadline for Expressions of Interest is 11:59 PM on December 15th, 2023 

Through the Track One Program, NYSG and CTSG will provide assistance to NY and CT communities to help identify and develop sustainability and resilience focused projects. This program aims to help communities assess local climate risks, conceptualize project ideas, and conduct preliminary planning efforts/steps in order to be well positioned to access funding to design and implement successful sustainability and resilience focused projects. At the conclusion of the Track One Program, it is anticipated that Awardees will be ready to seek funding for resilience-focused projects and can choose to utilize the Track Two Program. Receiving support through Track One is not a pre-qualification to receive support through Track Two. 

For answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) see the FAQ Document.


Track Two: Long Island Sound Resilience Grant Writing Assistance Program

Access the Request for Proposals here.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until all the available funding has been allocated

Through the Track Two Program, NYSG and CTSG will provide grant preparation and writing capacity to NY and CT communities that are pursuing funding for sustainability and resilience focused projects. This program aims to help communities develop successful sustainability and resilience focused project grant proposals and for municipalities and community organizations to develop capacity for navigating the funding landscape. Receiving support through Track One is not a pre-qualification to receive support through Track Two.

For answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) see the FAQ Document.

A virtual informational webinar will be held on November 8th for New York applicants and November 15th for Connecticut applicants. Check back for details soon!

For more information or questions contact: LISresilience@gmail.com.


More Info: Sea Grant's LIS Specialists

In New York, three New York Sea Grant Sustainable and Resilient Communities (SRC) extension professionals are working to strengthen the network of sustainable and resilient communities along the Long Island Sound in Westchester, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties. Additionally, two outreach coordinators work in the Sound’s basin on Long Island, in New York City and into Westchester County.

These five specialists in New York, plus two SRC extension professionals in Connecticut (via Connecticut Sea Grant), support Long Island Sound Study efforts throughout the Sound's basin. The team represents a commitment to prepare for and mitigate the effects of environmental and economic challenges posed by the effects of climate change and to expand community engagement along the Long Island Sound.

For more, see "New Sea Grant Specialists in NY and CT Help Expand LI Sound Study's Basin-wide Sound Efforts". 

More Info: Long Island Sound Study

Long Island Sound is one of the 28 nationally designated estuaries under the National Estuary Program (NEP), which was established by Congress in 1987 to improve the quality of Long Island Sound and other places where rivers meet the sea. 

The Long Island Sound Study is a cooperative effort involving researchers, regulators, user groups and other concerned organizations and individuals, and is led by the Environmental Protection Agency and the states of New York and Connecticut. 

In recent years, LISS has experienced a period of rapid expansion attributed to the increased federal funding for the program, and to implement actions, objectives, and goals established under a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan. The increase is grounded in the CCMP’s four overarching themes: Clean Waters and Healthy Watersheds, Thriving Habitats and Abundant Wildlife, Sustainable and Resilient Communities, and Sound Science and Inclusive Management.  Resilience to climate change, long-term sustainability, and environmental justice, are principles that connect to all four of the themes.

For more on what you can do to make a difference, click over to the "Get Involved" or "Stewardship" sections of the LISS's website. News on the LISS can also be found in NYSG's related archives.