Community Forest Conservation Round 3

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has released Round 3 of the 2025 Community Forest Conservation (CFC) Grant Program. This opportunity is funded through the New York State Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) and is aimed at supporting municipalities across New York State in acquiring land to create or expand community forests. The program focuses on the acquisition of private forested land via fee title or conservation easements, with the goal of enhancing public access to natural areas and advancing statewide climate, biodiversity, and land conservation goals such as the 30x30 plan. The core objective of the program is to enable municipalities to secure lands that are at least 10 acres in size and 75% forested. Projects must guarantee 100% public access and align with community needs such as recreation, environmental education, wildlife habitat, and resilience against climate impacts like flooding. Community forests play a vital role in enhancing air and water quality and serve as tools for building stronger, healthier communities. Projects must include willing sellers and be located within New York State. The program prohibits acquisition of lands that are already publicly owned, have existing easements incompatible with public forest use, or are encumbered by solar, wind, or telecommunications infrastructure unless specific conditions are met. The 2025 CFC program offers $1,000,000 in total funding, with individual awards ranging from $50,000 to $300,000. This is a performance-based grant, meaning payment is issued upfront and tied to the completion of deliverables across defined stages: preliminary review, pre-closing requirements, closing, and post-closing obligations. A 10% local match is required, which can be fulfilled through cash contributions, bargain sales, or in-kind services such as trail development or signage installation. Ineligible expenditures include fringe benefits, indirect costs, and any costs incurred outside the contract term. The contract duration is two years, and applicants must complete all acquisition and documentation within this period. Applications must be submitted through the NYS Statewide Financial System (SFS) Grants Management Portal. Bidders are required to prequalify in the system at least five business days before the application deadline. The submission package includes multiple required documents: property map, deed, tax bill, market value estimate, municipal resolution, landowner agreement, certification forms, and more. Optional but encouraged documents include letters of support and disadvantaged community verification maps. The grant evaluation consists of a pass/fail eligibility review and a scoring system based on project quality, cost-effectiveness, accessibility, alignment with climate goals, and long-term community vision. Projects near disadvantaged communities or with strong public support and accessibility features will receive higher scores. Award decisions are anticipated in November 2025. The application portal opens June 18, 2025. A technical assistance webinar is scheduled for June 25, 2025. The deadline for questions is August 29, 2025, and final applications are due by 3:00 PM Eastern Time on September 17, 2025. Bidders may contact DEC at dlfgrants@dec.ny.gov for programmatic questions and helpdesk@sfs.ny.gov or 877-737-4185 for SFS technical issues. All relevant forms and instructions are accessible through the SFS portal. This grant program represents a significant investment in sustainable land conservation, public access, and environmental stewardship in New York State.