Browse Ambrook’s collection of funding programs by New York City Watershed Agricultural Council

Complete the 480-a Enrollment Incentive Application (or Update Incentive Application) and send to WAC Forestry Program (forestry@nycwatershed.org or 33195 State Highway 10, Walton, NY 13856); after DEC approval send COA, plan, work schedule and W9 to WAC for payment.

Deadline text on the page: No deadline; funding must be used within one year of approval (application PDF: 'I will have one year from the approval date to enroll in 480-a or my funding will be reallocated').

General office (WAC Forestry Program)

Tom Pavlesich

Forestry Program Manager

WAC pays toward the cost of a forester-written Forest Management Plan needed to enroll in New York's 480-a Forest Tax Law program (50+ wooded acres, up to 80% property tax reduction), and toward the required 5-year plan updates, for forest landowners in the NYC Watershed. Landowner submits the WAC incentive application, has a Watershed Qualified Forester write the plan, and sends the DEC Certificate of Approval to WAC for payment.



Forest landowners in the New York City Watershed owning at least 50 wooded acres seeking or continuing 480-a enrollment.

A lump sum of money for a specific purpose that does not need to be paid back.

Grant

Payment to landowner or forester after DEC Certificate of Approval / Update Certificate; funds reallocated if not used within one year.

Published amounts: Dollar amount not published on page or application; 'Landowners in the New York City Watershed qualify for WAC funding to help pay for their management plan and required updates.'

Online application form on the program page (Economic Viability Business Plan Reimbursement Program Application); rolling; decision within three months.

Deadline text on the page: Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, with applicant selection occurring within three months.

Kristan Morley

Economic Viability Program Manager

Reimbursement grant from WAC's Economic Viability Program that pays for a professional business plan for a farm or forestry business in the NYC Watershed. Rolling applications; one business plan per fiscal year; up to $2,000 reimbursed after the completed plan and invoices are submitted.



Any NYC Watershed 'farm operation' as defined by Agriculture & Markets (AGM) CHAPTER 69, ARTICLE 25-AA, SECTION 301, Subdivision 11 (crops, livestock, commercial horse boarding, timber operation, compost/mulch/biomass, commercial equine); may be owned or rented, contiguous or noncontiguous parcels. Preference will be given to WAC participants. Applicant must upload most recent Schedule F to verify farm operation status.

Reimbursable funds; WAC will not reimburse costs accrued prior to grant approval; closeout package with invoice, completed business plan and W9 required; approved applications cancel after one year unless extended.

Published amounts: Applicants may apply for up to $2,000 in grant funding. Applications applied for that exceed $2,000 will be reviewed by the Economic Viability Committee.

Download the WAC CE Application Form (PDF) or call CE Program staff at (607) 865-7790; phases: Applicant Selection, Land Planning, Appraisal, Offer, Contract for Purchase and Sale, Closing.

Deadline text on the page: Application submission, review and approval of qualified applicants is rolling, based on available program funding, program capacity, and program production needs.

General office (Conservation Easement Program)

Serena Orleski

Easement Program Manager

WAC purchases permanent agricultural and forest conservation easements from landowners in the West-of-Hudson NYC watershed, paying appraised development-rights value. Farm track: 50+ acres with an active Whole Farm Plan; forest track: 100+ acres, 70% forest cover, with a Forest Management Plan. Rolling applications; Easement Committee approval at each of six acquisition phases.



Farm easement: property at least 50 acres, active Whole Farm Plan approved by WAC's Agricultural Committee, surface water resources, in the West of Hudson NYC Watershed, not in a hamlet designation area. Forest easement: at least 100 acres, at least 70% forest cover, Forest Management Plan (may be tied to 480-a or EQIP), surface water, West of Hudson, not in a hamlet area.

Payment per unit of land to do or avoid certain practices related to land management.

Easement

Permanent easement; landowner has six months to accept the Offer; WAC pays appraisal and design costs; monitoring/stewardship after closing.

Published amounts: The Offer (purchase price) is the difference between the land’s value with the easement and its value without the easement – “Paid for Development Rights.” WAC pays for the appraisal.

Contact the WAC Forest Stewardship Educator (914) 962-6355 x12 / jalba@nycwatershed.org, then submit the Croton T4T application by mail (2 Route 164, 1st Floor, Patterson, NY 12563) or email.

Deadline text on the page: Spring projects: February 1; Fall projects: July 1. Applications are selected competitively.

General office (East of Hudson Region, Patterson)

WAC Forest Stewardship Educator (J. Alba)

Forest Stewardship Educator

Tyler Van Fleet

East of Hudson Forestry Program Coordinator

Provides free native trees and shrubs, tree tubes and planting help to landowners in the Croton Watershed (East of Hudson) to replant streamside forest buffers. Applicant recruits volunteers and maintains the planting; seasonal competitive deadlines Feb 1 (spring) and July 1 (fall).



Landowners in the Croton Watershed with streams, wetlands, lakes or ponds; scheduling a field visit with the WAC Forest Stewardship Educator is required before applying.

A reduction or waiving of fees for meeting a certain criteria.

Discount

Landowner agrees to site access for monitoring and not to disturb planted vegetation.

Published amounts: Free trees and shrubs, tree tubes, site visit and planting support; no cash award.

Contact the Patterson Office at (914) 962-6355; complete the EOH AEM Tier 1 questionnaire (PDF linked on the page).

Deadline text on the page: Implementation of projects is based on EOH's farm ranking, project prioritization and identified water quality concerns.

Justin Seelaus

East of Hudson Agricultural Program Manager

WAC's East of Hudson team develops Whole Farm Plans with farms in the Croton/East of Hudson portion of the NYC watershed (Dutchess, Putnam, Westchester and Fairfield counties) and funds implementation of NRCS-standard best management practices to address nutrients, parasites, agrichemicals and sediment. Horse boarding facilities, orchards, nurseries, vegetable and livestock farms are typical participants.



Farm or forest located in the East of Hudson (EOH) watershed; eligible farm owners per WAC eligibility (see EOH Handbook / Tier 1 questionnaire).

A payment that requires some percentage of matching contributions by the recipient.

Cost Share

BMP funding scaled to resource concerns and animal units; Annual Status Review with all participants.

Published amounts: The EOH program provides funding for BMP implementation based on the environmental resource concerns identified in the AEM process and the number of animal units on the farm.

Online application on the program page; applicants notified within three months; closeout package with invoices and signed completed-services form.

Deadline text on the page: Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, with applicant selection occurring within three months.

Reimburses NYC Watershed farm operations for professional services in farm transition, estate planning or succession planning (attorneys, planners). Rolling applications, one per fiscal year, capped at $5,000 per applicant per year.



Reimbursable funds; payment not issued to participants not in good standing with WAC; approved applications cancel after one year unless extended.

Published amounts: $5,000 cap per applicant per year.

Download the MAP Application (PDF) and submit to WAC via email (forestry@nycwatershed.org); reviewed monthly.

Deadline text on the page: Applications are accepted year-round and reviewed monthly. .. Projects must be completed within six months of approval and are paid upon completion.

Reimbursement cost-share for forest stewardship practices on private woodlots in the NYC Watershed: forester site visits, timber stand improvement, tree planting, invasive plant control, riparian planting, and wildlife habitat practices. Landowners with a watershed forest management plan, a MyWoodlot profile, or 480-a enrollment apply year-round; work can be done by the landowner or a contractor.



Property in the New York City Watershed; must have a MyWoodlot profile, a Watershed Forest Management Plan, or be enrolled in the 480A Forest Tax Law; tree marking for TSI must be by a Watershed Qualified Forester.

Reimbursement per acre or per tree at published cost-share rates; funding limit $6,523.87 per year; projects completed within 6 months and inspected before payment.

Published amounts: The funding limit is $6,523.87 per year (MAP application PDF). Per-acre rates e.g. TSI light thinning $78.28/acre, medium $117.42/acre, heavy $143.53/acre; invasive plant control $1,115.39-$3,261.94/acre; tree planting fencing $2.61/ft; wildlife crop tree release $26.11/tree.

The Economic Viability Mini Grants Program encourages the implementation of activities that can enhance the economic viability of farm and forest businesses in the NYC West of Hudson Watershed.

Four categories of reimbursement grant are available:

- Training

- Marketing

- Event/Mileage

- Staffing



The Economic Viability Mini Grants Program encourages the implementation of activities that can enhance the economic viability of farm and forest businesses in the NYC West of Hudson Watershed.
Four categories of reimbursement grant are available:
- Training
- Marketing
- Event/Mileage
- Staffing

Any NYC West of Hudson Watershed ‘farm operation’ as defined by Agriculture & Markets (AGM).

- Info Page
- NYC West of Hudson Watershed Boundary Line Map
- WAC Micro Grants Application Tips

Irrigation

Water Quality

Waterway Protection

Wetland Conservation

Water Management

Small reimbursement grant — you pay first, then get paid back.

- Cap: "Applicants may apply for up to $5,000 in grant funding. There is a $5,000 cap per applicant per fiscal year."
- One category only: "Total amount you can apply for: $5,000 in one category only."
- Reimbursement, not upfront cash: "These are reimbursable grants. Closeout packages must provide necessary documentation per each category before reimbursement is issued." WAC pays you directly after reviewing your closeout package against the approved application.
- No match or cost-share is published.
- Mileage is paid at the federal rate: "WAC will reimburse applicants at the current federal mileage reimbursement rate." Round-trip Google Maps directions are required, calculated from your business address.
- Timing rules bite: only activities occurring after the approval date are eligible, and training "must occur within six months of the approval date."
- Categories: Training (paid on the training invoice), Marketing (farm signs, labels/packaging, logo, webpage, ad design and placement — no re-application for the same marketing service), Event/Mileage (a one-time offset for attending a new event/fair/market in New York State, not continual attendance), and Staffing (new positions only, at least minimum wage, with pay stubs and hour tracking at closeout).
- Preference: "Preference will be given to WAC participants."

Verify the amounts before applying. These figures come from the Watershed Agricultural Council's own Micro Grants Program page, but the most recent copy reachable in this pass was an archived one; the live site was unreachable from this session. Call WAC to confirm the current cap and open categories.

Through the WAC Nutrient Management planning staff; contact Cindy McCarthy, NMTeam & PFM Coordinator, 607-865-7090.

Deadline text on the page: Farmers keep record of their manure management and turn in manure spreading records annually, at which time a group of peers reviews and approves each farms credit award.

General office (West of Hudson Agricultural Program Office)

Incentive program for Watershed Agricultural Program farms that spread manure according to a Nutrient Management Plan. Farms submit annual manure spreading records; a peer group approves a per-acre / per-animal-unit credit balance that reimburses nutrient-management expenses such as manure spreaders, barn cleaners, custom services and lime.



Farmers eligible to enroll in the NMC program (WAP participants following a Nutrient Management Plan) keep record of their manure management and turn in manure spreading records annually.

NM Credit balances are used to reimburse farmers for Nutrient Management related expenses; eligible expenses include manure spreaders, barn cleaners, custom services, and lime.

Published amounts: In 2020, farmers earned $10.00 per acre and around $12 per animal unit. 142 farms participated in the NM Credit Program and earned roughly $550,000 in credits.

Complete a WAP Agricultural Environmental Management (AEM) Tier I application and return it to the Agricultural Program office (44 West Street, Walton, NY 13856). Staff confirm eligibility, then conduct a WFP Tier 2 and develop a Whole Farm Plan; BMPs are placed into the annually prioritized workload and implemented as funding is available.

Deadline text on the page: Enrollment in the Watershed Agricultural Program is based on eligibility, available program capacity, and annual prioritization of new Whole Farm Plans. Submission of an application does not guarantee immediate enrollment.

Connor Young

Agricultural Program Manager

Nate Townsend

Whole Farm Planning Coordinator

Voluntary, incentive-based program for farms in the New York City West-of-Hudson (Catskill/Delaware) Watershed. Participating farms receive a Whole Farm Plan, engineering and design, and 100% cost-share for eligible best management practices (barnyards, manure storages, fencing, stream crossings, cover crops, lime, pasture improvements), plus nutrient management and long-term repair/replacement support. Farm owners or lessors of an eligible farm operation apply with a WAP AEM Tier I application.



Farmstead and main production area within the NYC Watershed boundary; owner or lessor of a farm operation as defined by NYS Ag & Markets Law; average annual farm sales of $10,000 gross over the previous two years on a minimum of 7 acres (if less than 7 acres, farm sales must gross an average of $50,000); livestock farms must maintain at least 5 Animal Units and show capacity for proper manure handling; non-livestock farms need at least 7 acres in production; start-up farms may qualify by documenting value of livestock or crops raised in the first 2-5 years; CREP or Catskill Stream Buffer Initiative participants may be eligible as Conservation Participants for limited BMPs.

100% cost-share; BMPs designed and implemented through local contractors under WAC supervision; participant must operate and maintain each practice for its designated lifespan (O&M agreement); participants in good standing remain eligible for repair, replacement and future improvements.

Published amounts: 100% cost-share for eligible BMP implementation, including repair and replacement of existing systems. Invested more than $75 million on over 7,000 BMPs.

List of New York City Watershed Agricultural Council Funding Opportunities