2024 Climate Smart Communities Grant Program

The Climate Smart Communities (CSC) grant program, administered by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), offers funding to municipalities to tackle greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation and climate change adaptation at a local level. The program is designed to align with broader environmental conservation goals by fostering resilience and reducing environmental impact within New York State communities. It supports projects that either reduce GHG emissions or adapt to the changing climate, directly contributing to a more sustainable future for the state's residents and natural resources. The primary beneficiaries of this program are municipalities across New York State, including counties, cities, towns, villages, and boroughs. The grant aims to reduce risks from climate hazards and decrease GHG emissions, ultimately improving the quality of life and environmental safety for residents. The impact goals are centered on building local capacity to respond to climate change, whether through direct implementation projects or through certification activities that enhance planning and assessment capabilities. The program prioritizes projects that fall into two main categories: Implementation and Certification. Implementation projects are further divided into GHG Mitigation (e.g., reduction of vehicle miles traveled, organic waste, refrigerant management, renewable energy in low-income housing) and Climate Adaptation (reducing risks to residents, infrastructure, and/or natural resources from changing climate hazards). Certification projects focus on assessments, inventories, and planning activities that help municipalities achieve or work towards certified Climate Smart Community status. Projects must demonstrate an ability to identify, mitigate, and/or adapt to climate change vulnerability and risk or demonstrate potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Expected outcomes include a measurable reduction in greenhouse gas emissions through various mitigation strategies and a meaningful decrease in climate-related risks for residents, infrastructure, and natural resources. For certification projects, the expected outcome is an increased local capacity to respond to climate change, leading to more informed planning and future grant applications. The grant explicitly states that implementation projects must have a minimum useful life of 10 years, ensuring long-term impact. The strategic priority is to empower local governments to take concrete actions against climate change, with a clear theory of change that by funding targeted projects and capacity-building efforts, the state can achieve significant environmental improvements and enhance community resilience.