Incentive Programs

Community-driven relocation describes a situation where a community decides it will relocate,
in whole or in part, to reduce the risk faced by communities and individuals. This Community-Driven Relocation Subcommittee report provides background on community-driven relocation, an
overview of the current federal legal and programmatic landscape, and potential next steps that
Federal agencies can take, as part of a whole-of-government approach, to support communities
contemplating relocation.

The Long Island Sound Sustainable and Resilient Communities (SRC) Team held our 2024 Annual Workshop virtually as three sessions over two days. Session topics focused on our assistance programs, new regional resilience resources and tools, and a discussion on planning for inundation and different considerations communities may face.

Session 3 – Planning for Inundation was held on Wednesday, December 11th from 10 AM-12 PM. Participants heard from communities and regional entities that are using or considering different aspects of planning for inundation, including buyout programs, land use policies, and community perspectives on retreat/relocation.

The UConn Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR) and Connecticut Sea Grant present this webinar about the Climate Corps program – where undergraduate students learn from extension professionals and apply that knowledge to climate adaptation projects with municipal or community partners throughout the region. We will hear from former students about their experience in the program, and a community partner from the Alliance for the Mystic River Watershed will speak about how working with the Climate Corps has benefitted their organization. Learn more about our program and how we could partner with your organization!

Hosted By: Owen Placido, CT Sea Grant; Renata Bertotti, UConn CLEAR

Awards small grants in support of grassroots efforts and community-based environmental work in New England. The Grassroots Fund utilizes participatory grantmaking to move resources to New England grassroots groups working at the intersections of Environmental Justice. The program is geared toward groups who have some experience implementing a project in their community. Grants support groups to deepen their work by further developing a community vision, lowering barriers to participation, identifying new stakeholders, and working to bring more voices and lived experiences into core decision-making processes.

New York Sea Grant and Connecticut Sea Grant are providing grant preparation and writing capacity to New York and Connecticut communities that are pursuing funding for sustainability and resilience-focused projects. This technical assistance program helps municipalities and community organizations develop successful grant proposals and develop capacity for navigating the funding landscape. 

This program provides financial rewards for homeowners on Long Island who add green alternatives to their properties that reduce stormwater and nitrogen pollution entering Long Island Sound. Homeowners can be reimbursed for installing rain barrels, rain gardens, or native plantings on their properties. Funds are limited and available on a first come, first serve basis.

Under this program, homeowners who replace their cesspool or septic system with new Innovative and Alternative Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (I/A OWTS) technologies may be eligible for grants from New York State and Suffolk County that enable them to purchase and install a nitrogen removal septic system and leaching structure.

Nassau County has initiated a septic system replacement program for residents, small businesses, and nonprofits – Septic Environmental Program to Improve Cleanliness (SEPTIC). The SEPTIC program will reimburse eligible recipients that replace a conventional or failing septic system with an innovative and alternative onsite wastewater treatment system.

Sustainable CT’s Community Match Fund is an innovative program that provides fast, flexible funding and support for engaging your community on wide-ranging sustainability projects. Eligible projects receive dollar-for-dollar matching funds from Sustainable CT.

The National Audubon Society, Inc., through its state office, Audubon Connecticut, is the “sponsor” of a Connecticut “In Lieu Fee” (ILF) program. The program allows permittees to pay a fee in lieu of taking on mitigation themselves. Instead, local organizations like land trusts, and other environmental nonprofits, are given the opportunity to apply for and receive grant funding for the preservation, restoration, and enhancement of wetland and watercourse resources and associated upland buffers in the State of Connecticut.

The Green Fund seeks innovative proposals from committed organizations and individuals for activities that advance our mission which is to promote environmental quality, public health and equity in our community by providing grants and other incentives that contribute to a more environmentally sustainable future and reduce air, water and land pollution.

The Connecticut Society for Women Environmental Professionals Grant Program provides funding for local projects in Connecticut that benefit the environment. Grants of up to $2,000 will be awarded. Any application meeting the grant guidelines that is not successful in one cycle may reapply during any following cycle. The applications will be judged based on the environmental benefits of each project, in comparison to others. “Environmental benefits” can vary widely and successful applications have ranged from property clean-ups to environmental education.

Awards small grants in support of grassroots efforts and community-based environmental work in New England. The Grassroots Fund utilizes participatory grantmaking to move resources to New England grassroots groups working at the intersections of Environmental Justice. The program is geared toward groups who have some experience implementing a project in their community. Grants support groups to deepen their work by further developing a community vision, lowering barriers to participation, identifying new stakeholders, and working to bring more voices and lived experiences into core decision-making processes.

Sea Grant and the NOAA Climate Program Office, with support from the NOAA Office for Coastal Management, seek to establish programs aimed at placing people across the country into good jobs that advance climate resilience and assisting employers in developing a 21st century workforce that is climate literate, informed by climate resilience, and skilled at addressing consequent challenges. NOAA will assist communities in coastal and Great Lakes states and territories so they may form partnerships that train workers and place them into jobs that enhance climate resilience.

The Suffolk County Subwatersheds Wastewater Plan serves as a county-wide roadmap for how to address nitrogen pollution through wastewater upgrades and other nitrogen pollution mitigation strategies. It was developed in collaboration with numerous project partners, stakeholders, and technical experts, and is the product of rigorous, science-based evaluations.

Sustainable CT provides a wide-ranging menu of resilience best practices, opportunities for grant funding, and a voluntary certification program that recognizes thriving and resilient CT communities. Municipalities choose Sustainable CT actions, implement them, and earn points toward certification.

Resources and information on Suffolk County’s Reclaim Our Water Initiatives and Septic Improvement Program. Through the Septic Improvement Program homeowners can access grants from New York State and Suffolk County to replace their cesspool or septic system with a nitrogen removal septic system and leaching structure.

This toolkit describes “how” local government leads and partners can design more fundable projects by pulling specific policy levers, seeking key partnerships, using innovative accounting practices, inverting power structures, and rethinking and redesigning internal processes. It will help local government leads and partners operate within current finance and policy systems to better prepare themselves and their communities for climate resilience funding and finance.

The Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes and encourages community floodplain management practices that exceed the minimum requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

Inclusive community engagement is essential for successful environmental decision-making. The New York State Climate Smart Communities Program seeks to guide local governments in their community engagement efforts, particularly for inclusion of Disadvantaged Communities (DAC). Only through the leadership of those most affected by the climate crisis and environmental pollution can environmental and climate justice be achieved.

The Climate Smart Communities (CSC) is a New York State program that helps local governments take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to a changing climate. The program offers grants, rebates for electric vehicles, and free technical assistance. Registered communities have made a commitment to act by passing the CSC pledge. Certified communities are the foremost leaders in the state; they have gone beyond the CSC pledge by completing and documenting a suite of actions that mitigate and adapt to climate change at the local level. Find your local CSC Coordinator to start!

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) Clean Energy Communities (CEC) program helps local governments to implement clean energy actions, save energy costs, create jobs, and improve the environment. In addition to providing tools, resources, funding opportunities and technical assistance, the program recognizes and rewards leadership for the completion of clean energy projects and guides a path toward the Clean Energy Communities designation. Find your local CEC Coordinator to start!

Nitrogen Smart Communities (NSC) is a Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan (LINAP) program that encourages municipalities in Nassau and Suffolk counties to take meaningful and effective actions to reduce, prevent or eliminate nitrogen pollution in Long Island’s waters through community-specific plans of action.

This program provides financial rewards for homeowners on Long Island who add green alternatives to their properties that benefit the environment. It also provides guidance on how to install green alternatives on your property.

The second annual Long Island Sound Bi-State Sustainable and Resilient Communities Workshop brought together nearly 200 people virtually on Dec. 7, 2023 to learn about a new Long Island Sound Resilience Resource Hub (launching in early 2024), hear from communities and groups around the Sound working on resilience planning, and consider pathways for updating codes and ordinances. Videos of the workshop’s six sessions are available on YouTube. They can be accessed below along with supporting documents.

This online information session held Sept. 19, and repeated Sept. 21, provides an introduction to resilience planning in the Long Island Sound region. It includes discussions on local climate impacts and projections, resilience planning strategies, and climate certification programs for both New York and Connecticut municipalities. In addition to the main presentation, videos of the Connecticut and New York breakout sessions can be accessed below. The presentations and other resource materials are available here.