NYS Canal System Tourism Infrastructure and Events grants are available this year

WATERFORD, N.Y. — Competitive grant funding is available to support tourism and recreation along the New York State Canal System, including canal waterways and Canalway Trail.

The 2024 program will support tourism infrastructure and amenity improvements and events, the New York State Canal Corporation and the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor announced.

Applications will be accepted through Feb. 23.

Funding is open to counties, municipalities, units of local government, nonprofit organizations, and federally recognized Native American tribes located within the National Heritage Corridor, according to a news release about the program.

Applications for infrastructure projects located on land owned by the New York State Canal Corporation are open only to federal/state/local governments, unless a nonprofit applicant is currently named as a permittee on an existing Canal Corporation Use and Occupancy Permit.

The grant program includes two funding categories: Event Support, with an award range of $500 to $3,000; and Tourism Infrastructure & Amenity Support, with an award range of $5,000 to $24,000. Applicants may apply for one or both categories.

“Each year, as more visitors come to New York’s canalside communities for outdoor recreational activities, the Canal Corporation looks for ways to enhance and improve their experiences,” Brian Stratton, director of the New York State Canal Corporation, said in the release. “The Tourism Infrastructure and Events Grant program allows us to do just that. Working with the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, we are financing bright ideas from municipalities and stakeholders throughout the Canal corridor. We look forward to bolstering local economies by supporting this new round of upgrades and improvements.”

Interested applicants are invited to attend a virtual information session on Jan. 25 at 10 a.m.