Hudson River Improvement Fund
In 1985, the Hudson River Foundation received $1.5 million from the State of New York to establish the Hudson River Improvement Fund from monies originally paid to New York to settle litigation concerning the out-of-state export of Hudson River water by oil tankers. Through the combined efforts of Hudson River environmental organizations, including Scenic Hudson, the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, the Hudson River Fishermen’s Association (now Riverkeeper) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Improvement Fund was created to support projects that promote the enhancement of public use and enjoyment of the natural, scenic and cultural resources of the Hudson River and its shores - with an emphasis on physical projects that require capital construction, development or improvement.
Examples of projects that may be considered for funding include:
- PUBLIC ACCESS-- Development or improvement of facilities that increase public physical or visual access to the Hudson River, including but not limited to docks, boats, piers and shorefront access points.
- HABITAT -- Repair, restoration or creation of habitat.
- EDUCATION FACILITIES -- Development or improvement (and equipping) of facilities suitable for Hudson River education programs -- such as interpretive centers, marsh boardwalks or waterfront classrooms.
HRIF has a special interest in projects that promote accessibility.
2012 CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Application Deadline: Monday, November 19, 2012
Application Instructions
HRIF requests that proposals be assembled and sent electronically to info@hudsonriver.org. To the extent possible, individual files should be combined before submission. The file names should include the applicant organization's name (example: orgname_photos; orgname_application). The complete electronic file must be received by the Foundation by Monday, November 19, 2012.
Additionally, six complete hard copies (one with original signatures and five copies) should be mailed and postmarked no later than Monday, November 19, 2012 to:
Hudson River Foundation
Hudson River Improvement Fund
17 Battery Place, Suite 915
New York, NY 10004
Applicants having difficulty putting all or part of their proposals into electronic format should contact the Foundation at 212-483-7667.
The proposal submission should contain:
- HRIF Proposal Form.
- A copy of the organization's tax exemption certificate under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue code or an indication that the applicant is a subdivision of a government unit.
- Where appropriate: graphic representations of the project, such as maps, photos, plans, drawings, etc.; studies which support the need for the project, such as engineering or architectural studies; letters of support.
If you have any questions regarding the application procedure, please contact us at 212-483-7667 or info@hudsonriver.org.
Requests for funding in the 2012 grant cycle will undoubtedly be far greater than the funds available. Applicants are therefore encouraged to seek matching funds and provide in-kind services whenever possible. The typical grant awarded by the Hudson River Improvement Fund will be under $10,000. Requests for larger grants will be considered for projects that provide a significant benefit to a very large number of people.
The Fund is particularly interested in projects that will have a lasting impact on waterfront access, education, and habitat restoration. The Fund discourages applications for festivals or other one-time events unless such events are demonstrably related to the accomplishment of projects enhancing public access or achieving another HRIF purpose.
2011 Grants
| Organization | Project | Location | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Littoral Society | To cover costs of the Hudson River portion of the 2012 International Coastal Cleanup | Broad Channel, NY | $5,000 |
| Arm-of-the-Sea Productions | To develop a new environmental education performance piece titled, "The Rejuvenary River Circus" | Malden-on-Hudson, NY | $7,000 |
| Beacon Sloop Club | To repair the Beacon Sloop Club building from structural damage incurred by Hurricane Irene | Beacon, NY | $11,700 |
| Beczak Environmental Education Center | To upgrade Beczak's Hudson River water monitoring equipment | Yonkers, NY | $8,000 |
| Children's Museum of Science & Technology | For mechanical and aesthetic improvements to the Museum's "Living Hudson River" Exhibit | Troy, NY | $5,500 |
| Hudson River Sloop Clearwater | To provide matching funds for the replacement of the stern section of the sloop, "Clearwater" | Beacon, NY | $10,000 |
| Columbia Land Conservancy | To create a new parking lot and entrance to the Greenport Conservation Area, and to extend the "Acess for All" trail | Chatham, NY | $5,000 |
| Constitution Marsh Audubon Center | To print a brochure and interpretive exhibit labels for the Constitution Marsh Audubon Center | Cold Spring, NY | $2,700 |
| Earth Celebrations | To conduct a series of 30 environmental art workshops in lower Manhattan focusing on Hudson River topics and culminating in a pageant along Hudson River Park | New York, NY | $4,000 |
| Groundwork Hudson Valley | For construction of the American Eel Outdoor Classroom along the newly daylighted Saw Mill River in Yonkers | Yonkers, NY | $10,000 |
| Hudson River Maritime Museum | To winterize the Maritime Museum's galleries to allow year round programming | Kingston, NY | $10,000 |
| Hudson Crossing Park | To create a self-guided audio tour system for the handicap-accessible trail along the Champlain Canal in Hudson Crossing Park | Schuylerville, NY | $5,000 |
| Hudson City School District | For equipment and travel for students to take part in an invasive species survey, mapping and removal project at the Greenport Conservation Area and Harrier Hill Park | Hudson, NY | $2,872 |
| Hudsonia Limited | To conduct wetland biology seminars and lectures geared to municipal officals and environmental professionals, create an accompanying brochure, and to re-survey Hudson River goldenclub | Annandale, NY | $18,047 |
| Hudson Opera House, Inc. | To conduct a series of youth oriented environmental workshops focusing on the Hudson River | Hudson, NY | $4,000 |
| City of Kingston Parks & Recreation | To purchase aquatic environmental education equipment to be used in programs for the City of Kingston school district | Kingston, NY | $4,000 |
| Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance | Funding to oversee the programming and stewardship of the Bay Ridge Community Eco Dock | New York, NY | $20,000 |
| Newburgh Rowing Club | To fund the Hudson River Student Ambassador Rowing Project and to replace floating docks damaged during Hurricane Irene | Newburgh, NY | $11,000 |
| New York Harbor School | To conduct a study of aquatic organism growth under porous concrete tiles | New York, NY | $9,000 |
| NYC Water Trail Association | To purchase equipment to conduct weekly water-sampling for enterococcus at human-powered boat launches in New York Harbor | New York, NY | $3,000 |
| New York/New Jersey Baykeeper | For costs associated with the installation of a Community Oyster Gardening Reef at Soundview Park in the Bronx River | Keyport, NJ | $3,500 |
| The Olana Partnership | To conduct eight programs for children, and two workshops for adults, using art to explore the history of the Hudson Valley | Hudson, NY | $4,000 |
| City of Peekskill | For materials and staff to build a rowboat as part of the Community Boat Works program in Peekskill | Peekskill, NY | $8,000 |
| Regional Plan Association | To fabricate a moveable harbor map for use in Governors Island's education programs | New York, NY | $5,000 |
| Riverkeeper | To upgrade the Riverkeeper vessel's onboard communications equipment | Ossining, NY | $4,037 |
| The River Project | For materials needed to renovate the River Project's Pier 40 Wetlab | New York, NY | $5,949 |
| Rocking the Boat | To purchase equipment for Rocking the Boat's On-Water education youth and community development programs in the South Bronx | Bronx, NY | $7,370 |
| Rogers Island Heritage Development Alliance | For interpretive exhibits for the walking trail on Rogers Island in Fort Edward | Fort Edward, NY | $5,000 |
| Saugerties Lighthouse Conservancy | To repair the marsh boardwalk and bridges and create a map and interpretive displays for the Saugerties Lighthouse Trail | Saugerties, NY | $9,912 |
| Teaching the Hudson Valley, NPS | To conduct educator outreach regarding Hudson River teaching resources and conduct a Hudson River writing contest | Hyde Park, NY | $7,500 |
| Tug Pegasus Preservation Project | To upgrade systems on the Tug Pegasus to allow her to obtain USCG Attraction Vessel status | New York, NY | $10,000 |
| Waterfront Museum | To restore and repair the bow and stern ends of the Waterfront Museum’s Lehigh Valley No. 79 deckhouse | Brooklyn, NY | $10,000 |
