Established in 2018 to promote a sustainable Long Island Sound, the Sound Stewardship Fund provides additional space for funders who care about the Long Island Sound to work together to make a positive impact on its ecological health; work in alignment with the federal Long Island Sound Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan 2015; help nonprofits working to restore the health and living resources of the Sound achieve conservation outcomes in a more effective and collaborative way; and support capacity-building efforts that strengthen nonprofits working to protect the Sound.
The Collaborative
This collaborative is a diverse group of funders whose missions include the protection and restoration of the Long Island Sound. Initially created to align grantmaking around the protection and restoration of the Sound, the Collaborative has focused on understanding the myriad of issues facing this tidal estuary and identifying possible solutions. The goal is to have a greater impact by pooling our knowledge, expertise, relationships, and funding. These efforts have resulted in annual Long Island Sound Report Cards and an ongoing Unified Water Study initiative, which have subsequently been funded by the Environmental Protection Agency. Today, the collaborative continues its commitment to support projects that address pressing challenges and provide for a healthy, productive, and resilient Sound—now and into the future.
All the grants and work from the collaborative fall within any part of the Long Island Sound watershed in the states of Connecticut and New York as shown on the LISSF Boundary Map.
Funding Opportunity for 2025
The Long Island Sound Stewardship Fund (LISSF) is a competitive grant program seeking proposals to restore and protect the health and living resources of Long Island Sound. We are interested in empowering communities of all kinds (including communities typically underrepresented in environmental programs and projects) to access, improve, and benefit from Long Island Sound, its waterways, and surrounding lands. Up to $400,000 is expected to be available for grants in 2025. The most competitive proposals will incorporate multiple values including sustainability, resilience, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Nonprofit organizations may apply for funding through The Trust’s Grantseeker Portal from December 2024 through January 30, 2025. (Be sure to scroll down to the “Additional Requests for Proposals” section and follow the instructions for the Long Island Sound Stewardship Fund. After clicking on “Apply,” you should see: “You are submitting a cover sheet for the Long Island Sound Stewardship Fund RFP.”)
An informational webinar was held on Monday, December 16, 2024. The recording is below.
2025 RFP Info Session
Funders
- Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut
- Community Foundation of Middlesex County
- The Eder Family Foundation
- Fairfield County’s Community Foundation
- The Fred I and Gilda Nobel Foundation
- Jeniam Foundation
- Lily Auchincloss Foundation
- McCance Foundation
- National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
- The New York Community Trust
- New York Community Bank Foundation
- Pamela and Richard Rubinstein Foundation
- Rauch Foundation
- Rockfall Foundation
- Ms. Wendy W. Roberts
