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An aerial view of the Chemung River.
NATURAL INFRASTRUCTURE The Chemung River and its surrounding floodplain in Western New York serve as natural infrastructure that can help mitigate flooding and erosion. © Mat Levine

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For a Fifth Year, The Nature Conservancy's New York Climate Resilience Grant Program is Now Accepting Applications

December 23, 2024 | New York, NY

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Grants of up to $50,000 will be awarded for fee and easement acquisitions and for projects that strengthen organizational capacity for protecting resilient lands, secure vital floodplains and shorelines and help communities adapt to climate change

The Nature Conservancy is regularly called upon as a trusted organization that can provide science, decision-making tools and relationship-building skills needed to advance strategic land protection. To further this impact, expand capacity and funding in innovative ways, and empower land trust and conservation organizations, The Nature Conservancy has launched the 2025 funding cycle for the New York Climate Resilience Grant Program, which is accepting applications through February 7, 2025.

Open to New York-based non-profit 501(c)(3) conservation and community organizations, municipalities, State and Federally Recognized Tribal Nations and local and state agencies, the Climate Resilience Grant Program provides grants of up to $50,000 to support conservation and climate adaptation projects—including land protection, led by local organizations, with the goal of helping communities and nature adapt to climate change. The Nature Conservancy recognizes the challenges faced by communities with limited capacity, infrastructure and resources for adapting to and mitigating climate change. The Climate Resilience Grant Program seeks to fill some of these funding and resource gaps.

In its first four years, the Climate Resilience Grant Program has supported 23 organizations with 53 projects, providing roughly $1.2 million in funding. Program grants support organizations with fee and easement acquisitions of lands that connect with important floodplains and shorelines that mitigate flooding and erosion. The grants also provide funding for organizational capacity-building, planning and strategy development. Climate Resilience Grant Program funding prioritizes projects that demonstrate meaningful community engagement, work with those historically excluded from conservation, and lead to more equitable outcomes for people and communities.

“This year, our team is excited about the program’s increased focus on funding projects that center natural infrastructure—floodplains, streams, wetlands, tidal marshes, beaches, dunes and bluffs—as they help mitigate flooding and erosion,” states Matt Levy, Director of Land Protection at The Nature Conservancy in New York. “New York is experiencing more intense rainfall, erosion and sea level rise, and we must plan for future conditions, engage with people affected by flooding, and collaborate with nature to keep people safe and allow nature to adapt. This grant program seeks to do just that.”

The Climate Resilience Grant Program is part of the larger Connectivity, Climate and Communities Fund, which also includes the Resilient and Connected Appalachians Grant Program that offers funding for projects across the Appalachians’ 18 states. The Fund’s overall areas of focus include:

  • Connectivity: Creating a connected network of resilient lands and waters–a biodiversity superhighway enabling plants and animals to adapt to a changing climate.
  • Climate: Protecting and managing forests that store significant amounts of carbon, accelerating the transition to well-sited renewable energy, and helping communities to adapt and mitigate impacts from flooding.
  • Communities: Supporting resilient communities, sustainable livelihoods and strong connections to their natural landscapes.

“We are thrilled to offer these grant opportunities across the Appalachians landscape this year,” said Heather Furman, Appalachians Director for The Nature Conservancy. “These programs exemplify how working in collaboration with partners greatly expands the scale and pace of our conservation impact. Together we are connecting and conserving vital wildlife habitat while generating economic growth and recreation opportunities for communities.”

For more information about eligibility and guidelines of the New York Climate Resilience Grant Program, visit the website.

Click here to learn about the Connectivity, Climate, Communities Fund.

The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable. The Nature Conservancy is working to make a lasting difference around the world in 81 countries and territories (40 by direct conservation impact and 41 through partners) through a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit nature.org or follow @nature_press on X.