Tourism Infrastructure & Amenity Support

Funder: New York State Canal Corporation and Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor

Geographic Scope: Erie Canalway Corridor (500+ miles of waterway and Canalway Trail in New York State)

Focus Areas:

• Tourism infrastructure and amenity improvements
• Projects that facilitate recreation and/or tourism
• Enhancements to visitor amenities and experience
• Encouragement of overnight stays
• Commemoration of canal history, heritage, or culture
• Accessibility improvements for people with and without disabilities
• Expansion of audiences served
• Connectivity improvements between recreation areas, communities, waterways, and land trails

Eligibility:

• Counties
• Municipalities
• Units of local government
• Not-for-profit organizations
• Federally recognized Native American nations

2026 Program Priorities:

• Accessibility for all community members
• Addressing service and amenity gaps

Program Objectives:
Projects should demonstrate how they will achieve one or more of the following:

• Facilitate recreation and/or tourism
• Enhance visitor amenities and/or improve visitor experience
• Encourage overnight stays
• Commemorate the history, heritage, or culture of the canals
• Make recreational and tourism assets more accessible for people with and without disabilities
• Expand audiences served
• Improve and/or promote connectivity between recreation areas and communities or between waterways and land trails

2026 Timeline:

• Applications Opened: October 14, 2025
• Applications Closed: November 21, 2025
• Awards Announced: February 2026

Resources Available:

• Canal Recreationway Plan 2050
• ECNHC Preservation and Management Plan
• 2025 Amenities Study
• NYS Canal Corporation Branding and Amenity Design Standards
• Canal Design Standards
• Signage Guidelines
• Hand-Launch Facility Design Guide
• Universal Design Guidelines and best practices

Application Process

2026 Applications Now Closed

Check back in the fall for 2027 project and event support applications.

Submission Instructions:

1. Review the Program Guide for complete guidance
2. Applications are submitted online
3. Note: You cannot save applications in progress
4. Recommendation: Complete answers in a Word document first, then copy into online form

Required Materials:

• Completed online application form
• Project budget (using provided budget form)
• Documentation of matching funds (if applicable)
• Supporting documentation as relevant

Resources:

• Program Guide (available on website)
• Design standards and guidelines
• Accessibility workshop recordings available

Support Available:

• Two virtual workshops hosted in 2025 on accessibility
• Recordings available for 2026 Events and Tourism Infrastructure accessibility workshops
• Technical assistance available via email