Governor Kathy Hochul has announced $8 million is now available for the Climate Smart Communities Grant program to help municipalities take action to address climate change. Funding is available for projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the ongoing impacts of climate change. Eligible projects can include reducing flood risk, increasing natural resiliency, relocating or retrofitting critical infrastructure, and climate change planning and assessment projects as part of Climate Smart Communities certification. 

"As we continue to see the effects of climate change and extreme weather events, this significant funding through New York's Climate Smart Communities Program is critical to supporting local efforts that protect residents and strengthens infrastructure," Governor Hochul said. "These grants will help empower locally-driven, bold action to help meet New York's ambitious climate goals, while creating resilient communities that set an example for other municipalities to follow."

Established in 2016, the State Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) Climate Smart Communities Grant Program is a 50/50 matching program. It supports municipalities seeking to become certified Climate Smart Communities and implement projects that advance the State's climate change goals by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, mitigating flood risk, and helping to prepare for extreme weather. The program supports the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act), which requires New York to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 85 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Since the program's inception, DEC awarded more than $60 million to municipalities in support of local climate mitigation and adaptation projects. More information about this grant program and the 2023 Request for Applications are available on the DEC website. 

Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said, "New York's communities are on the frontlines of our fight to address climate change and DEC's Climate Smart Communities Program provides critical resources to help municipalities reduce greenhouse gas emissions, invest in renewable energy, and reduce waste. Thanks to Governor Hochul's leadership, this next round of substantial grant funding will provide regional economic development investments in communities statewide and will support local governments to join in New York's ambitious efforts to fight climate change, reduce energy costs and build healthier, more resilient communities."

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said, "Climate Smart Communities is an essential support for municipalities in the fight against climate change, helping them embrace a greener tomorrow through a wide range of options. We are proud to work with DEC on this important statewide program, which works in tandem with NYSERDA's Clean Energy Communities program, to maximize available resources for reducing pollution and increasing sustainability while ensuring that all New Yorkers benefit from our transition to a clean energy economy."

Up to $7 million is available for grants of between $50,000 and $2 million for implementation of projects that could include: 

• Reducing vehicle miles traveled; 
• Reducing food waste; 
• Reducing hydrofluorocarbon emissions from refrigeration and other cooling equipment; 
• Increasing natural resiliency through restoration or preservation of wetlands and floodplains; 
• Reducing future flood risk, including by relocating or retrofitting critical infrastructure;  
• Preparing for extreme weather events, and 
• Renewable energy projects in municipally-owned low-income housing.

In addition, up to $1 million is available for certification grants of between $10,000 and $200,000 for planning, inventory, and assessment projects that are aligned with 19 specific Climate Smart Communities Certification actions in the areas of greenhouse gas mitigation, climate adaptation, and land use. 

Applications are due by 3 p.m. on July 28, 2023. To apply for this latest round of grants, visit the New York State Consolidated Funding Application (CFA), which is available online: https://apps.cio.ny.gov/apps/cfa/

The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act) requires that New York's disadvantaged communities receive at least 35 percent of the benefits of spending on clean energy and energy efficiency programs, with a goal of 40 percent. The Climate Justice Working Group recently finalized criteria to identify disadvantaged communities to ensure that frontline and otherwise underserved communities benefit from the state's historic transition to cleaner sources of energy, reduced pollution and cleaner air, and economic opportunities. Given this important objective of the Climate Act, implementation projects occurring in disadvantaged communities and certification projects occurring in municipalities with disadvantaged communities will receive additional points in the scoring criteria for applications for Climate Smart Communities grants. 

These grants are part of a larger program to support community engagement in local climate action. There are currently 381 registered Climate Smart Communities, representing more than 9.4 million New Yorkers. To be designated a registered community, municipalities make a commitment to act on climate change by passing a formal resolution that includes a 10-point pledge. Since 2014, 118 municipalities completed the rigorous review process to be designated as certified Climate Smart Communities. These certified communities have gone beyond the pledge to complete and document a suite of actions that mitigate and adapt to climate change at the local level. More information about the certification program is available online: https://climatesmart.ny.gov/  

The Climate Smart Communities funding programs are supported by the State's Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). New York's EPF supports climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts, improves agricultural resources to promote sustainable agriculture, protects our water sources, advances conservation efforts, and provides recreational opportunities for New Yorkers. In the FY 2024 State Budget, Governor Hochul maintained EPF funding at $400 million, the highest level of funding in the program's history. The EPF also provides funding for critical environmental programs such as land acquisition, farmland protection, invasive species prevention and eradication, enhanced recreational access, water quality improvement, and an aggressive environmental justice agenda.

NYSERDA's Clean Energy Communities program supports the Climate Smart Communities program, offering additional strategies and funding opportunities to assist New York State municipalities that implement clean energy projects and initiatives. A regional coordinator network provides support to municipalities for both programs. Learn more online.

The Climate Smart Communities (CSC) program is an interagency initiative of New York State and several other state entities in sponsor the program, including DEC, the Department of Public Service, Department of State, Department of Transportation, Department of Health, NYSERDA, New York Power Authority (NYPA) and the New York State Division of Homes and Community Renewal (HCR).

New York State's Nation-Leading Climate Plan 

New York State's nation-leading climate agenda calls for an orderly and just transition that creates family-sustaining jobs, continues fostering a green economy across all sectors and ensures that at least 35 percent, with a goal of 40 percent, of the benefits of clean energy and energy efficiency investments are directed to disadvantaged communities. Guided by some of the nation's most aggressive climate and clean energy initiatives, New York is on a path to achieving a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030, and economywide carbon neutrality by mid-century. A cornerstone of this transition is New York's unprecedented clean energy investments, including more than $35 billion in 120 large-scale renewable and transmission projects across the state, $6.8 billion to reduce building emissions, $1.8 billion to scale up solar, more than $1 billion for clean transportation initiatives, and over $1.8 billion in NY Green Bank commitments. These and other investments are supporting more than 165,000 jobs in New York's clean energy sector in 2021 and a 2,100 percent growth in the distributed solar sector since 2011. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality, New York also adopted zero-emission vehicle regulations, including requiring all new passenger cars and light-duty trucks sold in the State be zero emission by 2035. Partnerships are continuing to advance New York's climate action with nearly 400 registered and 100 certified Climate Smart Communities, nearly 500 Clean Energy Communities, and the State's largest community air monitoring initiative in 10 disadvantaged communities across the state to help target air pollution and combat climate change.