$12.6 Million in Environmental Justice Grants

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced more than $12.6 million in grants for 11 projects to enhance environmental education in communities facing the highest pollution and climate impacts. The funding supports the construction of new and improved education centers in environmental justice and disadvantaged communities (DACs) that will help inspire more New Yorkers to learn about the challenges their communities face and how they can make a positive difference.

“We remain committed to providing the resources necessary for improving the environmental, public health and economic challenges affecting disadvantaged communities across New York State,” Governor Hochul said. “This new funding will directly support local efforts to create or expand environmental education centers that engage New Yorkers on local programs to improve quality of life, enhance air quality and help build a cleaner, greener future.”

The Community Environmental Education Center grant program is administered through the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ). To date, this is the largest amount of funding that DEC’s OEJ awarded for any single environmental justice grant opportunity, which takes on added significance in the wake of federal cuts to environmental justice programs.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton said, “Environmental education starts on the local level, and DEC is proud to advance Governor Kathy Hochul’s support for New York’s community-based organizations working to improve awareness of our natural world, the threats it faces, and how to take action that drives environmental justice. The over $12.6 million awarded through DEC’s Environmental Education Centers grant program will help promote exploration, discovery, and hands-on learning that will enrich the lives of visitors and foster the next generation of conservationists. We are excited to see what unique offerings these organizations will provide to New Yorkers.”

The following projects received DEC’s Community Environmental Education Grant funding:

• Mott Haven Port Morris Community Land Trust: $2,500,000: supports construction of the HEArts Center in the South Bronx, Bronx County. The center will transform a city-owned blighted property and help expand Green City Forces clean jobs training and South Bronx Unites environmental advocacy, while using green-building practices to empower the community.
• Outstanding Renewal Enterprises Inc.: $1,972,575: the Lower East Side Ecology Center (LESEC) will construct a one-acre Environmental Education Center in East River Park, New York County. The center will include a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified building for programs and administration, and green spaces for environmental exploration, discovery, education, and stewardship.
• Kites Nest, Inc.: $1,600,000: supports the ReGeneration Capital Project to transform a two-acre riverfront property in Columbia County into a community campus for liberatory education, youth leadership, and environmental justice.
• Evergreen Cemetery Preservation Foundation: $1,543,700: supports construction of a community gathering space in Kings County for commemorative events and to host educational programing with a focus on science, the environment, and environmental justice in collaboration with the community, not-for-profits, and academic organizations.
• Southampton Township Wildfowl Association: $1,200,000: supports the expansion of the Quogue Wildlife Refuge Nature Center in Suffolk County to include increased education space, accessible exhibits, a separate classroom, and enhanced wildlife enclosures to advance environmental education, conservation, and accessibility for all visitors.
• Chenango Greenway Conservancy: $1,103,275: supports the purchase of 162 acres of open space and former farm buildings for the establishment of the West Hill Nature Center in Chenango County. The properties will be repurposed for conservation education, outdoor recreation activities, visitor amenities, and community organization space.
• Radix Ecological Sustainability Center: $859,039: supports the purchase of property adjacent to the Radix Center in Albany, Albany County, to allow the expansion of existing greenhouse and garden programs, and provide new workshop and lab spaces.
• Energy Justice Law and Policy Center: $694,595: funding will support the construction of the Center at Five Islands Park in Westchester County to support environmental stewardship and climate resilience efforts in New Rochelle's DACs. The center will offer hands-on education, marine exploration, workforce training, and serve as the Sound Shore's first urban coastal climate justice facility.
• Schoharie River Center: $475,000: supports the conversion of a vacant park building into a net-zero facility that will provide STEM-based experiential learning through an environmental justice lens, targeted to local youth. The center will be the first of its kind in Schenectady County.
• Media Alliance, Inc.: $470,000: supports the transformation of The Sustainable Land Arts Studio in Schenectady County from a dilapidated carriage house in the organization’s food justice, arts, and permaculture garden into a resource for inspiring environmental stewardship through hands-on arts, agriculture, and sustainable education.
• Limeledge Botanical Garden and Arboretum: $272,982: supports Limeledge’s trail system expansion and two historic barn restorations, transforming them into the Brookside Community Environmental Education Center at Limeledge in Onondaga County.

Funding for DEC’s Community Environmental Education grant program was provided by the State's Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) as part of New York State’s ongoing commitment to environmental justice. The 2025-26 enacted State Budget increases the EPF to a record $425 million, helping support work directly in disadvantaged communities, as well as other critical environmental programs such as land acquisition, farmland protection, invasive species prevention and eradication, enhanced recreational access, and water quality improvement.

The projects also complement Governor Hochul’s “Get Offline, Get Outside” initiative to promote physical and mental health by helping New York’s kids and families to put down their phones and computers, take a break from social media, and enjoy recreation and outdoor social gatherings. 

More information on DEC’s Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ) and funding opportunities is available on the DEC’s website.