Regional Resilience Grants
2026 REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS
The Understory has launched a new $4,000,000 grant program as part of our H.E.R.E. (The Hudson Estuary Resilience Effort) initiative.
These Regional Resilience Grants aim to foster social and ecological resilience in the Hudson Valley by supporting local non-profit projects and organizations working in the areas of culture, ecology, food/farming, and shelter.
True resilience comes with connection to and affection for the people and places around us. If we are to withstand the many social and ecological challenges we face here in the Hudson Valley, we need to do it together. Our hope is that these grants will prove to be catalytic in helping us all care for each other and our shared home.
These grants were shaped by Hudson Valley practitioners whom The Understory convened into guilds — groups of local subject-matter experts working in each area. Guild members, along with The Understory staff and other regional experts, will review applications and make funding recommendations. The fund was created with the support of a diverse group of place-focused funders in the Hudson Valley.
Truly, these grants are for this place, and of this place.
THE OPPORTUNITY
We are seeking energetic organizations with great ideas and detailed, realistic, and well-formed plans to foster social and ecological restoration, resilience, and regeneration in the Hudson Valley.
For this program, the Hudson Valley means these ten counties: Albany, Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rensselaer, Rockland, Ulster, and Westchester.
Grants range from $10,000 to $200,000. We expect to award approximately 60-70 grants totaling at least $4,000,000. Most awards are likely to fall between $25,000 and $100,000. That said, all projects will be seriously considered at the lower and upper limits.
We encourage you to size your request to the scope of your work rather than to the floor or the ceiling.
TIMELINE
Applications open: Wednesday, July 15, 2026
Informational Webinar 1: Thursday, July 23, 2026, Watch the Recording
Informational Webinar 2: Thursday, October 1, 2026, Register
Applications due: Wednesday, November 18, 2026, 11:59 PM Eastern
Awards announced: Late January 2027
LINKS
Download the application as a PDF
Download this RFP as a PDF
Download the Press release as a PDF
Looking for collaborators? Fill out this form to find each other.
Questions should be directed to grants@theunderstory.org.
FOCUS AREAS
Regional Resilience Grants connect people and projects across the Hudson Valley and catalyze their efforts to care for their places.
Proposals should address at least one of the following four areas. Your application will name one primary focus area. This helps us assign reviewers and manage conflicts of interest among them. You may name additional focus areas, and doing so is welcome.
Culture
Funding priorities include, but are not limited to:
Strengthening social fabric through community celebrations, community art, and music that foster and make connections
Mutual aid infrastructure
Emergency resiliency planning and efforts
Ecology
Funding priorities include, but are not limited to:
Ecological restoration, conservation, and stewardship that support local biodiversity and/or contribute to the long-term health and resilience of our landscapes and waterways
Ecological education and programs that foster connection to local nature
Food / Farming
Funding priorities include, but are not limited to:
Food access and security work benefiting our most vulnerable populations
Farmer support programs that improve farmer well-being, connect farmers to one another in mutually beneficial ways, increase income or reduce costs, and/or create greater efficiencies
Land access and protection for farmers (we fund the work surrounding land access — see What We Fund below — but not the purchase price of land)
Shelter
Funding priorities include, but are not limited to:
Community work related to affordable housing
Education and policy improvements for municipalities and planning/zoning board members
Workforce development in green and affordable housing
Research and design projects addressing systemic housing needs in the Hudson Valley
Purpose-built emergency shelter
Farmer housing
PROJECT TYPES
Every proposal names one primary project type, and may name up to two additional types that genuinely apply.
Innovation — new projects and initiatives that address regional needs and opportunities
Continuity, Expansion, Replication — projects that scale up or replicate existing models and best practices, or provide continuity for important established programs
Education — projects that raise public awareness of and engagement with the Hudson Valley’s food, shelter, ecology, and/or culture, or that provide training and learning opportunities for people and practitioners building a more resilient Hudson Valley
Research — original research that uncovers actionable data related to the Hudson Valley’s food system, shelter, culture, and/or ecology
Regional Weaving — projects that draw together groups and practices across the Hudson Valley (associations, collaboratives, coalitions, and the like)
Regional Readiness, Response, and Recovery — projects that help Hudson Valley communities prepare for, respond to, or recover from social and ecological emergencies, disasters, and other crises, in both the immediate and long term
WHAT WE ARE SEEKING
Beyond fit with a focus area and project type, our rubric gives additional weight to proposals that:
Meaningfully address more than one focus area
Meaningfully address more than one project type
Bring public visibility to issues facing the Hudson Valley
Serve vulnerable and disadvantaged groups
Engage community members during implementation and share results back generously
Feature meaningful collaboration between organizations
Include robust documentation and evaluation
A note on these preferences: they are not a checklist. A proposal that does two of these things excellently will score better than one that gestures at all seven. Tell us what your project actually is.
ELIGIBILITY
Project activities must take place in or across the ten counties listed above. Applicants must be one of the following:
Nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization
Municipal or county-level government (may apply on behalf of a municipal Conservation Advisory Council or Climate Smart Task Force, for example)
Project supported by a fiscal sponsor, provided the fiscal sponsorship agreement is in effect at the time of application
Public or independent school, college, or university
Public or association library
Faith-based institution
Your organization need not be headquartered in the Hudson Valley, but the project must be in and for the Hudson Valley.
Faith-based applicants: grant funds may support community-serving programs but may not be used for religious instruction, worship, or proselytizing.
Grant funds may not be used for lobbying by any applicant.
WHAT WE FUND, AND WHAT WE DO NOT FUND
Capital costs are eligible. Construction, renovation, and permanent equipment may be funded where they are integral to the project — including purpose-built emergency shelter, equipment shares, and farmer housing. Tell us clearly what will be built, where, under whose control, and how it will be maintained after the grant period.
Site control is not required at the time of application, but it is required before funds are disbursed. If you do not control the site by then, we will hold the disbursement or withdraw the award. Plan accordingly.
Land: we fund the work, not the purchase. Grant funds may support the costs associated with land access and protection — legal fees, appraisals, surveys, easement transaction costs, organizing, and programs that connect farmers to land. Grant funds may not be used for the purchase price of land or development rights.
General operating support is not the default. We fund projects. That said, if your organization’s situation is one where restricted project funding would be the wrong instrument, make the case in your application, and we will consider it. We would rather you ask than shape your work around our form.
We do not fund:
Grants to individuals
Endowments or debt retirement
The purchase price of land or development rights (see above)
Lobbying, political campaigns, or electioneering
Retroactive costs — expenses incurred before the grant award date
GRANT TERMS
Disbursement. This is not a reimbursement grant. Funds are disbursed up front.
Co-funding. If your project requires funding beyond this grant, your application must include a credible plan for the balance — identifying committed funds, pending requests, and earned or in-kind sources. Other funding need not be secured at the time of application, but we will look for a realistic path to a fully funded project.
Eligible costs. Grant funds may support direct project costs, including hard costs and the staff and contractor hours devoted to implementing the project. Staff and contractor time spent on the project is a direct cost, not overhead. Indirect costs (general administration, fiscal sponsorship fees, rent, utilities, insurance, and similar) may not exceed 15% of the total request.
Match. There is no match requirement.
Project term. Projects must be completed within two years of the grant award. If you are proposing capital work, build permitting and seasonal constraints into that timeline before you apply.
Collaboration. Working with other organizations is encouraged but not required. Where organizations collaborate, one must serve as the primary applicant.
Number of applications. An organization may serve as the primary applicant on only one application. There is no limit on the number of applications in which an organization may participate as a named collaborator or partner. Fiscal sponsors may submit on behalf of multiple sponsored projects. Independent entities or departments within a larger organization may each apply. Questions about your specific situation should be directed to grants@theunderstory.org.
Storytelling. Grantees are expected to participate in reasonable documentation and storytelling of their work, for The Understory’s communications and their own. We will not ask you to share anything that compromises the people you serve.
Reporting. Grantees will be required to submit a brief project report and final financial accounting upon project completion.
HOW APPLICATIONS ARE REVIEWED
The Understory developed a scoring rubric in collaboration with regional experts and practitioners. Each application is assigned to reviewers in its primary focus area and read by multiple evaluators, who score it independently against that rubric. Scores inform a review discussion. The Understory staff will make the final funding recommendations, including all decisions about how funds are allocated across the four focus areas, to our fiscal sponsor, The New World Foundation, which will award the grants.
Conflicts of interest
Our evaluators are Hudson Valley practitioners. That is the point — they know this region and the work being proposed in it. It also means some of them work at, sit on the boards of, or are close to organizations that will apply. We would rather name that plainly than pretend it away.
Guild members’ organizations are eligible to apply. Excluding them would mean either a weaker applicant pool or a weaker review panel, and we are not willing to accept either. Instead, we manage the conflict under our recusal and conflict-of-interest policies, which fairly govern everyone who touches the review — guild members, ad hoc reviewers, outside experts, and staff.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO APPLY
Required of everyone
Project narrative — written into the form; nothing to upload
Project milestones — written into the form; nothing to upload
Project budget (upload; optional template provided)
Current organizational budget (upload)
W-9 (upload)
Proof of eligibility (upload) — your IRS determination letter and tax exemption number, or your fiscal sponsorship agreement, your sponsor’s tax exemption certificate, and a letter from the sponsor confirming the relationship. Fiscally sponsored applications will need to tell their fiscal sponsors to create an account on Fluxx, the grant software we use.
Required where applicable
Most recent Form 990 or audited financials — required of any applicant that files a Form 990. If your organization does not file one — municipalities and county governments, public schools and libraries, houses of worship, and other bodies exempt from filing — upload your most recent financial statements or annual budget instead.
Board list with affiliations — required of any applicant governed by a board. Public bodies without one are exempt. (We use this in conflict-of-interest screening as well as in review.)
A letter from each named collaborating organization, confirming they will take part if the grant is awarded. Required if you name any partner.
Optional
Site plans, drawings, photographs
Evidence of site control or permitting status for capital projects
Letters of support
Anything else that helps us understand the work
FAQs
Tax-Exempt Status and Fiscal Sponsorship
Q. Does the fiscal sponsorship agreement need to be in place by the application submission?
Yes.
Q. Is a 501c6 eligible?
No.
Q. Do contract colleges at Cornell University count as state higher ed institutions?
Yes.
Q. Can there be a foreign fiscal sponsor?
No, fiscal sponsors must be based in the US.
Q. Is there an advantage to having a municipal sponsor?
No, whether you’re fiscally sponsored by a municipality or other entity or have your own tax-exempt status, there’s no particular advantage in the eyes of our review panel.
Q. Would a local authority or a public benefit corporation be considered an eligible applicant?
Ultimately, the grantee would need to have tax-exempt status to receive this funding, such as a municipality. A public benefit corporation is a separate entity and not part of a municipal government or funded by tax dollars.
Budget
Q. What types of expenses qualify for the 15% cap on organizational overhead?
This “up to 15%” can be used for things such as fiscal sponsorship fees, rent, and general operational needs for your organization. Any administrative costs or staffing directly related to the project for which you got the grant can be part of your main budget.
Q. Is there a limit to how much an organization may request in relation to their annual operating budget?
No. If your proposal budget is larger than projects you’ve worked on in the past, make sure to explain why your organization is the right fit for the task and justify why this amount of money is necessary.
Q. Is there a limit on the sponsor's annual income/the size of the operating budget of the fiscal sponsor or organization itself?
No.
Q. Is there a maximum percentage of how much of the request can be capital costs versus program costs?
No. But keep in mind, we have some constraints. Capital costs cannot include the purchase of land, for example.
Q. I know the grant can’t pay for the purchase of land, but can it pay for leasing land?
Covering the cost of leasing land depends upon the nature of the project. We would need to know more to be able to make a decision.
Q. Can budget requests be spread over multiple years?
This grant provides funding up-front for up to a 2-year term. So you'd be welcome to structure your proposal as a two-year project, and plan to spend your budget accordingly.
Q. Are matching funds required?
Applicants are not required to come up with a % match as part of their application if their grant application is for $200,000 or less. Though we don’t discourage that. If your project needs funding beyond the cap of what you can request from this grant ($200,000), then you must show on your budget where you intend to get the remaining gap. We want to make sure that the rest of the funds to implement the project are in hand, or committed in some way.
Q. Could an applicant propose that a Regional Resilience Grant serve as matching funds for other grants that they’re getting for a project?
Yes, we're delighted when our funds can help leverage other funds.
Q. Are the grant disbursements milestone-based or through another process?
This is not a reimbursement grant. Grant money is awarded up front.
Q. Can funds be used to pay interns?
Yes, if the intern is dedicated to the project.
Q. Can funds be used to pay for equipment repairs?
Yes, if the equipment is owned by the tax-exempt entity and used on the project. Equipment repairs are typically classified in the Overhead category.
Grant Program Goals
Q. Does the concept of “resilience” for this region form a crucial thread of focus for how you will evaluate proposals? Is the ultimate rationale for the project best presented in terms of how it contributes to “resilience”, however it may be defined by the applicant?
Yes.
Q. Will the review panel take into account environmental justice concerns?
Yes, please explain how your project serves disadvantaged communities, environmental justice initiatives, or vulnerable populations.
Q. Are you interested in funding new projects or projects with an existing longer history?
Both. New projects are great, especially those that show some innovation, and projects with a longer history, are also desirable. There's so much good work happening in the Hudson Valley, so we're not just looking for new things, our goal is to support the continuity of organizations that are making a difference on the ground here.
Q. What is the geographic area of eligibility?
The Regional Resilience Grant is focused on our catchment area of the Hudson River estuary’s watershed. That said, for ease of defining the borders, we are only accepting grants for projects that address any or all of these counties: Albany, Rensselaer, Greene, Columbia, Ulster, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, and Westchester.
Q. Do applicants need to be located in the Hudson Valley?
Applicants don't need to be headquartered in the Hudson Valley. However, the projects need to be located in the Hudson Valley and address the Hudson Valley.
Q. Will you be funding projects located in each of the eligible counties?
It would be lovely to be able to spread the funding across the Hudson Valley. Ultimately, we're looking at the strength of the individual applications and their particular potential. We do not have a quota for the locations of grant awards.
Q. Is this likely to be a one-time funding opportunity, or do you have plans for future funding rounds?
We hope to provide additional rounds in the future, but at this time we have not committed our organization to additional years.
Application and Grant Process
Q. Will you be selecting projects to get funded before the application deadline later this year - i.e., will proposals submitted sooner potentially be selected for awards before other proposals are submitted?
No, all applications will be reviewed and considered after the deadline has passed.
Q. When creating an account to begin the application, how long does the process take to get set up? I've just submitted an account creation request; what can I expect to happen next?
Yes, the first step in applying is creating an account for your organization on the New World Foundation’s grants portal on the Fluxx system. The New World Foundation (NWF) is The Understory’s fiscal sponsor and must verify your Fluxx account before you can proceed to create an application for the Regional Resilience Grant. You should hear back from NWF staff via email within one week.
Q. Can an organization submit multiple applications?
Only large entities with distinct entities can apply more than once (for instance, different departments at a college/university or a county government). A fiscal sponsor can be associated with more than one organization’s application.
Q. Can you share how the grant applications will be evaluated?
Applications will be thoroughly evaluated by multiple reviewers with subject-matter expertise.
Q. Can you discuss what types of reporting are required throughout the life of the project for the grantees?
We are aware that many grants include pretty onerous grant administration and reporting. We really try to have a lighter touch with that. At the end of the grant term, you are required to fill out a short questionnaire and budget report for the New World Foundation, The Understory's fiscal sponsor. Also note that we are looking for applications that include reporting back out to their communities, their peers, and public. We’d like to see storytelling or sharing of how the project went integrated into the project itself.
Q. Is there an option with the application to submit supplementary materials, like photos, videos?
Yes, the Fluxx grant application enables you to upload photos, PDFs, or other supplementary materials, in addition to the required documents (budget, financial materials). If you have a video you’d like to share, please have that hosted somewhere and provide a link to the video.
Guilds, Focus Areas & Categories
Q. Can a Guild member’s organization apply or be affiliated with an organization’s application? (ex: the Guild member’s organization is the fiscal sponsor for an applicant or a Guild member is on the board of an applicant’s organization)
Yes, they can. However, we have a recusal policy whereby Guild members will not review applications from their own organizations or those with which they have an affiliation.
Q. Is there an advantage to applying under more than one focus area or category?
Yes, the review panel will be looking for applications that weave together focus areas and entail more than one category. However, we are looking for applications to only go this route in a meaningful and valid way. Applications that are strong in one area will also be considered favorably.
These grants are being directed and awarded via our fiscal sponsor, The New World Foundation, and your application will be made directly to them.