Zoos, Botanical Gardens & Aquaria (ZBGA) Program

The Zoos, Botanical Gardens and Aquaria (ZBGA) Grants Program is administered by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) and is funded through annual appropriations from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund. The program supports institutions that manage living or systematically organized collections of biological specimens for public interpretation. It is aimed at enhancing the capacity of local governments and not-for-profit organizations to maintain and operate natural heritage collections, while promoting educational programming that interprets the ecology and significance of these collections to the public. ZBGA grants provide consistent, stable, and renewable funding to eligible institutions over a five-year contract cycle, running from April 1, 2021, through March 31, 2026. This multiyear structure allows awardees to plan and sustain programming and operations with long-term funding assurances. The awards are calculated based on the applicant's reimbursable expenses and budgetary information, with funding tiers determined by prior participation and the scale of the institution’s operating budget. New participants may receive up to $15,000 annually or one-third of their total Natural Heritage Collection (NHC) operating budget, whichever is less. Returning applicants may qualify for higher calculated tiers, although no applicant may receive more than one-third of the total annual appropriation. Eligible applicants must be municipalities or not-for-profit organizations that own, house, and interpret natural heritage collections for the public. These collections can include preserved biological specimens, living plants and animals maintained in substitute habitats, or formally dedicated natural habitats within New York State. Each applicant must operate on a permanent basis with a dedicated public education program, be open to the general public for at least seven consecutive months annually, and demonstrate financial and administrative stability. Further eligibility includes holding captive organisms in accordance with state and federal regulations, complying with civil rights and equal opportunity statutes, and having maintained nonprofit status for at least two prior state fiscal years. Applicants affiliated with larger organizations must provide separate operational budgets. Certain entities and program types are ineligible for funding. These include for-profit organizations, public school districts, federal or New York State agencies, cemeteries, and institutions focused primarily on decorative gardens, horticulture, genetically domesticated organisms, or science-technology displays. Activities such as research, land acquisition, fundraising, and overhead costs are also excluded. Institutions with mixed programming must ensure that only the natural heritage components of their collections are supported through ZBGA funds. Contracts are executed via the NYS Grants Gateway following a formal award announcement and require the submission of several compliance documents, including insurance certificates, by-laws, and proof of registration with the NYS Attorney General’s Charities Bureau. Reimbursement is based on submitted and verifiable expense reports, and should align with the state's fiscal year timeline. Preferred submission periods include annual reimbursement in January or February or quarterly submissions following the end of each quarter. Documentation must be provided electronically within two business days upon request. To ensure integrity in the use of public funds, all procurement of goods and services must follow New York State’s best practices for transparency, efficiency, and accountability. Institutions must demonstrate adherence to procurement procedures either through compliance with General Municipal Law or by maintaining internal procurement policies that emphasize competitive pricing and fair dealing. The ZBGA program contact for inquiries and application submission is reachable via email at ZBGAGrants@parks.ny.gov.