$4 Million Available for Local Non Profit Projects, Organizations

The Understory (formerly Partners for Climate Action Hudson Valley) has launched a new $4,000,000 pilot grant program as part of its H.E.R.E. initiative — the Hudson Estuary Resilience Effort.

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.

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.

Grant seekers have between July 15th and November 18th, 2026 to apply for grants ranging between $10k to $200k. Grants will be announced and awarded in January, 2027.

Visit www.theunderstory.org/here for application details and to register for an info session.

More about H.E.R.E.

H.E.R.E., The Hudson Estuary Resilience Effort is a project of The Understory, a nonprofit organization formerly known as Partners for Climate Action Hudson Valley.

The Hudson Valley faces many interconnected threats from the housing crisis to social disconnection, access to healthy, affordable food and the challenges faced by local farms, or to ecosystem degradation due to deer overpopulation and biodiversity loss.

To develop the Regional Resilience Grant Program and identify regional funding priorities, The Understory brought together a group of philanthropic funders passionate about supporting the Hudson Valley and a group of 32 experts and practitioners in the areas of farming, shelter, culture, and ecology.

Matt Stinchcomb, co-founder of The Understory and the director of H.E.R.E and the Regional Resilience Grant program explains, “Working on this regional level makes sense. 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.” Stinchcomb notes that a key part of this grant opportunity is “connection between organizations, neighbors, towns” and that grant reviewers will be looking for applications that build on collaboration.