A Hudson Valley nonprofit is making at least $4 million available for projects that restore forests and waterways, improve access to food and farmland, expand affordable and emergency housing, and strengthen communities through art, mutual aid, and disaster planning.
The Understory opened applications July 15 for the first round of its new Regional Resilience Grants, which will range from $10,000 to $200,000. The organization expects to award about 60 to 70 grants, with most falling between $25,000 and $100,000, according to a press release announcing the program.
The fund opened as smoke from Canadian wildfires again drifted across the Hudson Valley, clouding the sky and worsening air quality. The timing was coincidental, but Matt Stinchcomb, a co-founder of The Understory and director of the grant program, said the conditions illustrated the environmental and social disruptions communities must increasingly be prepared to confront.
“We really feel that the stressors are accelerating,” Stinchcomb said in an interview with the Herald. “Real resilience is really based in community and relationship.”
Applications are due by Nov. 18, and recipients are expected to be announced in late January 2027.
The program is organized around four areas: culture, ecology, food and farming, and shelter.
Culture grants may support community celebrations, public art, music, mutual-aid networks, and emergency planning. Ecology projects may include habitat restoration, land and water conservation, biodiversity protection, and programs that connect residents with the natural environment.
Food and farming grants may support food-access programs, efforts to improve farmers’ incomes or reduce their costs, and projects that help farmers gain access to land. Shelter funding may be used for affordable housing initiatives, emergency shelters, farmworker housing, green-construction training, municipal planning education, and research into the region’s housing needs.
The program grew out of roughly 18 months of discussions with Hudson Valley funders and residents already working on regional challenges, Stinchcomb said. The goal, he said, was to hear from “the people who are closest to the issues that we’re trying to address here.”
The organization convened groups of regional specialists, known as guilds, in each of the four focus areas. The groups were asked to identify pressing needs, recommend organizations that should be encouraged to apply, and help determine how the money could have the greatest effect.
“What are you seeing on the ground?” Stinchcomb asked. “What are the real challenges here?”
Guild members will review applications alongside The Understory’s staff and other subject-matter experts. The initial fund was assembled with support from several existing donors and matching funds from the NoVo Foundation, Stinchcomb said.
The grants are available for projects in Albany, Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rensselaer, Rockland, Ulster, and Westchester counties. Applicants do not need to be headquartered in the Hudson Valley, but the proposed work must take place in, and directly benefit, the region.
Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, municipal and county governments, fiscally sponsored projects, schools, colleges, universities, libraries, and faith-based institutions. Religious organizations may seek support for community programs, but grant money may not be used for worship, religious instruction, or proselytizing.
The grants may cover construction, renovations, permanent equipment, and other capital expenses tied to a project, including emergency shelters, shared agricultural equipment, and farmer housing. They may also support legal, appraisal, and survey costs associated with gaining access to or protecting farmland, but may not be used to purchase land or development rights.
The program generally funds specific projects rather than operating expenses, although organizations may request general support if they can show that restricted funding would not meet their needs. Grants cannot be used for lobbying, political activity, or costs incurred before an award is made.
The Regional Resilience Grants are part of the organization’s Hudson Estuary Resilience Effort, or H.E.R.E., a broader initiative that combines regional funding, practitioner expertise, and public-interest storytelling.
H.E.R.E. Journal, the initiative’s new twice-annual print publication, launched Saturday with reporting and photography focused on the Hudson Valley’s ecology, communities, and relationship to place. Its first issue includes a feature on Riverkeeper, and an article exploring the impact of dwindling volunteer numbers at local fire departments.
“H.E.R.E. Journal, a publication of The Understory, supports the organization’s regional resilience work through storytelling,” editor Ann Marie Gardner said. “Our mission is to get people excited about the nature of this place — the Hudson Valley’s extraordinary ecology and the many ways it shapes how we live here. Working with exceptional writers and photographers from across the region, the magazine is an invitation to better understand where we live and build a deeper connection to the Hudson Valley.”
Stinchcomb said revenue from the journal will be returned to the grant fund, linking the publication’s storytelling work with the projects supported through the broader H.E.R.E. initiative.
Founded in 2019 as Partners for Climate Action Hudson Valley, The Understory supports locally led efforts to restore ecosystems and strengthen communities across the region. The organization provides funding, technical assistance, and connections to local leaders working on environmental and social challenges. It is fiscally sponsored by the New World Foundation.
Application information is available online. Questions about the grants may be submitted to grants@theunderstory.org.