Climate Resilience Grant Program

Climate Resilience Grant Program

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: The Nature Conservancy
Amount: Up to US $50,000
Last Updated: January 16, 2026

Summary

The New York Climate Resilience Grant Program, funded by The Nature Conservancy, aims to enhance conservation and climate adaptation efforts led by local organizations. With a total funding of $500,000 available, grants of up to $50,000 will support land protection initiatives that mitigate flooding and erosion. The program encourages projects that foster community engagement and prioritize equitable distribution of benefits, particularly for marginalized groups, ensuring resilience in the face of climate change.

Overview

NOTE: The Conflict Inquiry form is required for all non-profit organizations. Government entities and State and Federally Recognized Tribal Nations do not need to submit the form.While not required, we strongly suggest that you reach out to discuss your project, how it fits with our programmatic priorities, and answer any questions about which program to apply to (CRGP or RCA). The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy is a global environmental nonprofit working to create a world where people and nature can thrive. Our Mission To conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. Connectivity, Climate, Communities Fund To make the highest possible impact on the climate and biodiversity crises, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is committed to advancing solutions and supporting partners throughout the Appalachians to connect and conserve vital wildlife habitat, build resilience to the impacts of climate change, and generate new job and recreation opportunities for communities. Approximately one-third of the U.S. population lives in or within 100 miles of the Appalachians, including an estimated 36 million people that rely on the region for sources of drinking water. The landscape contains the world's largest remaining expanses of temperate broadleaf mixed forest and provides habitat to a wide diversity of plants of animals, many of which are listed as rare, threatened, or endangered. Conserving this landscape is critical for nature and for the people that live and work there. However as climate change drives ecosystem instability, plants and animals are shifting their ranges northward, and people are having to find ways to adapt to complex and intertwined challenges. TNC and many others have been working to conserve vital Appalachian habitats for decades. Now we must ramp up our efforts and coordinate with partners across the Appalachians for maximum impact. To succeed in these efforts, TNC’s Connectivity, Climate, Communities Fund offers two grant programs for conservation and community organizations, municipalities, Federally Recognized Tribal Nations, and local and state agencies in the Appalachians who are working to protect and conserve this region: The Resilient and Connected Appalachians Grant ProgramThe New York Climate Resilience Grant Program New York Climate Resilience Grant Program The Nature Conservancy is pleased to announce a fifth round of funding available in New York through our Climate Resilience Grant Program. The program supports conservation and climate adaptation projects, including land protection, led by local organizations, with the goal of increasing resilience to climate change for people and nature. Program grants will help local organizations with fee and easement acquisitions of lands that connect with important floodplains and shorelines that mitigate flooding and erosion. The grants will also provide funding for organizational capacity building, planning and strategy development. Resilient Floodplains and Shorelines Natural infrastructure, like floodplains, streams, wetlands, tidal marshes, beaches, dunes and bluffs, help mitigate flooding and erosion. We refer to these features as resilient floodplains and shorelines. They also benefit people and nature by filtering water, recharging groundwater, offering recreational opportunities, providing habitat and enhancing human wellbeing. New York is experiencing more intense rainfall, erosion and sea level rise.  To ensure our communities are resilient to climate change impacts like flooding and erosion, 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. By conserving undeveloped lands along rivers, streams and coasts, we mitigate flooding, preserve migration pathways and habitats, maintain water quality, facilitate the movement of sediment, and protect drinking water and aquifers. The Climate Resilience Grant Program offers grants for projects and initiatives that support conservation and resiliency planning, build organizational capacity and help develop climate focused strategies. The program also supports land acquisition projects that: Maintain natural buffers between people and flooding or erosion, particularly in areas where natural lands are threatened by development,help lessen harmful impacts to communities from floods,and make floodplain and shoreline habitats more resilient. Equitable Conservation and Community Benefits Conservation organizations are increasingly acknowledging the importance of incorporating social equity in their missions, partnerships, and projects and evolving how they work to have better outcomes for people and nature. TNC defines community benefits as the positive outcomes that directly result from or are included within conservation projects as experienced by local communities and people. This is particularly important for historically marginalized communities, communities with limited access to nature, communities experiencing heightened impacts of climate change due to systemic underinvestment and poor infrastructure, and Indigenous communities. Climate Resilience Grant Program funding will support projects that demonstrate meaningful community engagement, work with those historically excluded from conservation, and lead to a fairer distribution of benefits for people and communities. Some examples of community benefits include improved and greater access to nature, protection of drinking water sources, recreational and resource-based economic opportunities, flood mitigation, engagement in cross-cultural initiatives, or protection of lands that will meet community-defined conservation needs. We encourage projects with meaningful community benefits that are integrated with the land protection goals. Project Types The Climate Resilience Grant Program invites applications for two types of projects: Projects that strengthen an organization’s planning, capacity or strategy initiatives that will ultimately lead to actions that will help make species, habitats and communities more resilient to climate change.  Projects that result in the permanent fee or easement acquisition of lands that contain or intersect with floodplains; coastal sediment sources and natural, protective infrastructure like beaches and dunes; or tidal marshes and marsh migration corridors. These Resilient Floodplains and Shorelines features are shown on the program’s online map viewer. Project Evaluation Planning, capacity and strategy projects will be evaluated according to the following criteria: Planning: The project develops or updates an existing plan to advance climate resilience and landscape connectivity and/or climate adaptation initiatives in your work.Capacity: The project increases your capacity for engaging in land protection projects, conservation planning, climate-focused strategy development and community engagement (e.g., staff professional development, skills enrichment, technology access or skills, grant or financial resources).Strategy: The project advances strategies to incorporate or expand equitable climate resilience and connectivity or climate adaptation principles into your work. This may include expanding, innovating or developing new kinds of work for your organization related to climate resilient land protection and equitable conservation, as well as funding for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice training, support for community engagement, development of communication or media campaigns, or convening non-traditional or historically excluded partners. Resilient Floodplains and Shorelines land acquisition projects will be evaluated on the following criteria: Size: Total acres of Resilient Floodplains and Shorelines features within the project area (the context of the property to its surroundings will be considered).Connectivity: The property adjoins or is near other protected lands or waters and/or is part of a floodplain complex (see online map viewer)Timeline: The anticipated closing is before deadline on website.Collaboration:  Evidence of engagement with other organizations, community groups or local governments.Community: Project elements that directly engage or help people, especially vulnerable or marginalized groups. All projects will also be evaluated for: Clarity of project goal(s) and how the project increases organizational capacity to achieve climate resilience and connectivity and/or climate adaptation outcomes Degree of collaboration with or support from other conservation organizations, community groups, local governments or Tribal Nations Feasibility of project and reasonable costs. Funding The total amount of funding available is $500,000. Applicants may apply for up to $50,000 for a project. Grant awards may be less than the amount requested. Projects must be completed within twelve months of the start of the grant term. Planning, capacity and strategy grant recipients will receive an initial payment followed by two additional payments tied to interim and final reporting requirements. Land acquisition project awards are disbursed up front, except for any portion of the grant allocated for stewardship and legal defense, which will be provided after closing.

Eligibility

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