Waste Management

Awards small grants in support of grassroots efforts and community-based environmental work in New England. The Grassroots Fund utilizes participatory grantmaking to move resources to New England grassroots groups working at the intersections of Environmental Justice. The program is geared toward groups who have some experience implementing a project in their community. Grants support groups to deepen their work by further developing a community vision, lowering barriers to participation, identifying new stakeholders, and working to bring more voices and lived experiences into core decision-making processes.

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science, in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program, is soliciting proposals under their Nationwide Fishing Trap Removal, Assessment, and Prevention (TRAP) Program.

Using funding from the NOAA Marine Debris Program provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science will award up to $1,475,000 in grants to remove derelict fishing traps throughout coastal waterways of the United States while collecting data to prevent future gear loss.

Congressionally Directed Spending requests, also known as Community Project Funding or Earmarks, are funding requests for high-impact, Connecticut-based projects that can be completed with assistance from the federal government. The project must meet the eligibility requirements for at least one of the accounts listed.

New York Sea Grant and Connecticut Sea Grant will provide grant preparation and writing capacity to New York and Connecticut 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. 

The LINAP Embayment Water Exchange Study looked at how water exchange practices could affect the nitrogen impairments in embayments. A water exchange practice changes the amount, speed, or direction of water moving through an area. The results of the study show that water exchange techniques are not effective in large waterbodies like most of Long Island’s embayments. Often, the physical size of the water exchange practice is small compared to the large waterbodies to which they are applied, which means their impact is limited. Water exchange projects may be useful, however, for smaller Long Island waterbodies, where the volume of increased water exchange approaches the volume of the overall waterbody. The goal of the study was to provide communities with basic information on water exchange practices suitable for Long Island.

Clean Water Act Section 604(b) Water Quality Planning Grants fund regional comprehensive water quality management planning activities as described in Section 604(b) of the federal Clean Water Act. 604(b) funds are to be used for water quality management planning activities, such as determining the nature, extent and causes of point and nonpoint source water pollution problems, and developing plans to resolve these problems.

DEC typically issues a Request for Applications (RFA) every 3-5 years and awards funds to multi-year projects.

The goal of this funding program is to assist municipalities in starting or expanding municipal food scraps recycling programs. Approximately $2.75 million is available. To ensure equitable access and development of food scraps recycling opportunities for all New Yorkers, this year’s opportunity will prioritize the first half of available funds for eligible projects serving Environmental Justice and Disadvantaged communities.

The Suffolk County Water Quality Improvement Division works to protect and improve Suffolk County’s ground and surface waters. The WQPRP provides funding to protect and restore surface and groundwater resources throughout the County. Funding is available for both planning/ engineering and construction expenses.

The NYS Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC) Clean Water State Revolving Fund provides interest-free or low-interest rate financing for wastewater and sewer infrastructure projects to municipalities throughout New York State. A variety of projects are eligible for financing, including construction or restoration of sewers and wastewater treatment facilities, stormwater management, landfill closures, as well as habitat restoration and protection projects. There are several different types of financing available to clean water project applicants. EFC provides both short and long-term financing, interest-free or low interest to accommodate municipalities of all population sizes with varying financial needs. When communities repay their financings, it allows EFC to finance new projects and the funds “revolve” over time.

Grants are available to help municipalities with median household income requirements to develop engineering reports so they can be prepared to seek financing to help them complete their wastewater, sewer and water quality projects.

The Intermunicipal Grants (IMG) program is available for both drinking water and wastewater projects that serve multiple municipalities, such as a shared water quality infrastructure project or the interconnection of multiple municipal water systems.

The Water Infrastructure Improvement (WIIA) program provides competitive grants to help municipalities fund critical wastewater and drinking water infrastructure projects. The program demonstrates New York State’s nation-leading commitment to upgrading water and sewer systems, reducing water pollution, and safeguarding vital drinking water supplies from emerging contaminants and toxic chemicals.

Through the Clean Water Fund, CT DEEP is able to provide grants and low-interest loans for infrastructure projects to meet clean water needs such as addressing combined sewer overflows, nutrient pollution, wastewater collection infrastructure needs, and projects using green infrastructure and addressing resiliency.

Awards small grants in support of grassroots efforts and community-based environmental work in New England. The Grassroots Fund utilizes participatory grantmaking to move resources to New England grassroots groups working at the intersections of Environmental Justice. The program is geared toward groups who have some experience implementing a project in their community. Grants support groups to deepen their work by further developing a community vision, lowering barriers to participation, identifying new stakeholders, and working to bring more voices and lived experiences into core decision-making processes.

Grants are awarded for projects that address Nonpoint Source impacts in surface waters including creation and implementation of approved Watershed Based Plans.

Sustainable CT’s Community Match Fund is an innovative program that provides fast, flexible funding and support for engaging your community on wide-ranging sustainability projects. Eligible projects receive dollar-for-dollar matching funds from Sustainable CT.

The NEP Coastal Watersheds Grant Program is a nationally competitive grants program designed to support projects that address urgent and challenging issues threatening the well-being of coastal and estuarine areas within determined estuaries of national significance.

The Marine Debris Foundation is focused on strengthening, enhancing, and improving domestic and international efforts that address the adverse impacts of marine debris on the economy, environment, and/or maritime safety. The Marine Debris Foundation awards annual grants to augment the efforts and impact of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program.

The Long Island Sound Futures Fund (LISFF) will be seeking proposals to restore the health and living resources of Long Island Sound (Sound) with approximately $12 million in funding in 2024. The program is managed by National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Long Island Sound Study (LISS). Major funding is from EPA through the LISS with additional funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Avangrid Foundation.

The WIFIA program accelerates investment in our nation’s water infrastructure by providing long-term, low-cost supplemental loans for regionally and nationally significant projects. Managed out of USEPA Headquarters. Projects eligible for CWSRF would also be eligible for this loan.

With support from the Nature Conservancy and Sustainable CT, East Haddam organized a Community Resilience Building process and workshop, the results of which were compiled into this summary. The team engaged with community members to determine the present hazards and vulnerabilities and identify resilient solutions.