Erie Canalway announces 2024 grant applications

Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
·2 min read

Jan. 16—The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and the New York State Canal Corp. have announced tourism grant funding for the year.

According to a press release, the program will support infrastructure and amenity improvements and events that promote canal tourism.

Funding is open to counties, municipalities, units of local government, nonprofit organizations and federally recognized Native American tribes located within the National Heritage Corridor. Applications for infrastructure projects located on land owned by the New York State Canal Corporation are open only to federal/state/local governments, unless a nonprofit applicant is currently named as a permittee on an existing Canal Corporation Use and Occupancy Permit.

The grant program includes two funding categories: Event Support, with an award range of $500 to $3,000; and Tourism Infrastructure & Amenity Support, with an award range of $5,000 to $24,000. Applicants may apply for one or both categories.

"Each year, as more visitors come to New York's canalside communities for outdoor recreational activities, the Canal Corporation looks for ways to enhance and improve their experiences. The Tourism Infrastructure and Events Grant program allows us to do just that. Working with the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, we are financing bright ideas from municipalities and stakeholders throughout the Canal corridor. We look forward to bolstering local economies by supporting this new round of upgrades and improvements," New York State Canal Corporation Director Brian Stratton said in the release.

"We are pleased to offer another year of tourism investment in the Canalway Corridor. Supporting communities in their efforts to improve recreational amenities and infrastructure and host events is a key component to a thriving and vibrant waterway," Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Executive Director Bob Radliff said in the release.

In 2023, 37 nonprofit organizations and municipalities received NYS Canal System Tourism Infrastructure and Event Grants totaling $190,000. The resulting improvements and programming drew 86,500 people to the canals.

A virtual information session will be held on Jan. 25 over Zoom. The session will be recorded and available for viewing on the website by Jan. 27. Sign up is required. For more information including session sign up, visit https://eriecanalway.org/resources/grants.