LI Sound Study’s Resilience Resource Hub: What Assistance Programs Are Available to You?

The Long Island Sound Study (LISS) is a partnership between the Environmental Protection Agency and the States of Connecticut and New York, created in 1985 to address the various environmental challenges experienced by the Long Island Sound and its associated watershed. A component of addressing environmental issues in the Long Island Sound Watershed is long-term planning and project development that will promote the sustainability and resiliency of New York and Connecticut communities on the Long Island Sound.

To provide relevant planning, risk mitigation, recommended adaptations to climate changes, and funding information to the stakeholders and Long Island Sound communities, the LISS has compiled a centralized database called the Long Island Sound Resilience Resource Hub.

Below, we provide a generalized overview of the two program assistance resources that are available on the Resilience Resource Hub – the Grant Writing Assistance Program and the Planning Support Program.

Grant Writing Assistance Program

The first program we will examine is the Grant Writing Assistance Program. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in conjunction with the LISS, have provided funding to New York Sea Grant and Connecticut Sea Grant in order to provide services that aid in the procurement of a contractor for the preparation of grant applications, writing, and associated administrative tasks needed to obtain funding.

The intent of this opportunity is to decrease staffing and service costs and provide personnel knowledgeable in the grant process at the municipal level, as LISS has identified that securing funding, a steep grant application learning curve, and the lack of institutional knowledge of the grant process have the greatest hindrance on sustainability and resiliency projects.

Municipalities and community organizations are eligible to apply for this grant assistance funding in support of sustainability and resiliency projects that will affect communities on the Long Island Sound. Funding of up to $9,950 per application is available and is paid directly to the grant assistance contractor, further saving payroll processing and invoicing review costs for municipalities and community organizations.

Some of the support and services that this program can provide include:

• Preparing project budgets
• Analyzing project costs
• Project narrative writing
• GIS mapping
• Proposal and application preparation and submission

Please note that this list is non-exhaustive. The grant assistance program has a rolling application deadline. Round 4 of the Grant Writing Assistance Program opened on October 1, 2025, and will close when all funding has been awarded.

Planning Support Program

The second program that LISS provides on the Resilience Resource Hub is the Planning Support Program. The intent of this program is to help municipalities, nonprofits, non-governmental organizations, private voluntary organizations, academic institutions, Native Tribes/Nations, and community organizations promote sustainable and resiliency-focused projects to mitigate impacts from environmental factors (e.g., increasing sea levels, increased precipitation, increased storm events).

The Planning Support Program achieves this aim by offering assistance with:

• Identifying potential resiliency and sustainability projects
• Developing the scope of the identified projects
• Planning these projects

Some examples of services provided through the Planning Support Program include:

• Climate change risk analyses
• Vulnerability assessments
• Project planning and prioritization
• Guidance on obtaining project funding
• Preliminary public outreach
• Project feasibility

Again, this list is non-exhaustive. As with the grant assistance program, payments through this program will be made directly to the contractor. The third round of the Planning Support Program will be released in December 2025, so be on the lookout for this forthcoming program.

How Walden Can Help

There are no local matching requirements that must be met in order to obtain funding through either the Grant Writing Assistance or the Planning Support Program. In addition, both of these programs are provided at no cost to the community.

If you need funding for planning support or grant writing for resiliency and/or sustainability projects, Walden is available to help! Please contact us at 516-518-3705 with any questions about the assistance programs that LISS offers. Our grant writing and sustainability experts can help you capitalize on these opportunities.