Federal Grant Opportunities: October 2, 2025 My office is sharing the following information on federal grant opportunities available to you. If you are applying for a grant that accepts Congressional letters of support, or if you are seeking additional information or guidance in your application process, please contact our office. We stand ready to assist you. 2025 Shutdown: Grants.gov StatusAs of October 1, 2025, funding for the federal government has expired. My Democratic colleagues and I spent these past days and weeks working to keep critical services up and running for families and fighting to ensure healthcare benefits for millions of Americans are not eliminated. Sadly, Republicans continued to push a partisan spending bill that takes health care away from families and raises premiums for tens of millions.Grants.gov will still be available, but service may be delayed with reduced Federal support staff presence. For those programs affected by the funding lapse, the Grants.gov system will accept and store applications until such time as the responsible awarding agency has the authority and funding to return to normal business operations. Featured Funding OpportunitiesUSDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS): FY26 Application Deadline for Conservation Program FundingNRCS in New York is announcing that the fiscal year FY26 sign-up deadline for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and EQIP Initiatives including the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI), Working Lands for Wildlife Golden-Winged Warbler (WLFW) and Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) is Oct. 24, 2025While applications are accepted on a continuous basis, NRCS utilizes application cutoff periods to assess and rank applications based on their potential conservation impact.All applications need to be received by Oct. 24, 2025, to be considered for this first round of funding for FY 2026. Applications received after this date will be held and considered for subsequent rounds.NYS Canal System Tourism Infrastructure & Event GrantsThe NYS Canal Corporation and the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor offer competitive grant funding to support tourism and recreation along the New York State Canal System, including Canal Waterways and Canalway Trail. Funding is open to counties, municipalities, units of local government, not-for-profit organizations, and federally recognized Native American tribes. There are two funding opportunities:Tourism Infrastructure & Amenity Support Event SupportApplications Open: October 14, 2025. Applications Due: November 21, 2025.New York State Council on the Arts FY2026 Capital Projects FundLast week, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that up to $80 million in capital funding is now available to nonprofit arts and cultural organizations through the New York State Council on the Arts Capital Projects Fund. The Fund has three grant categories: Small and Midsized Capital Improvement GrantsLarge Capital Improvement Grants Capital Design Grants for Arts and CultureThe deadline is January 13, 2026, at 5 p.m.  Small Business ResourcesThe Albany Small Business Development Center serves small businesses in the Capital Region. Since its start in 1984, the expert advisors of the Albany SBDC have worked directly with 28,053 businesses, helping them to invest $543,926,495 in the area's economy, and create or save 15,244 jobs.You can make an appointment for counseling by calling 518-442-7232 or filling out their online form.New York Small Business Development Center (NYSBDC)For over forty years, the New York SBDC network has been the backbone for small businesses. With 20 regional centers, over 70 satellite locations, and hundreds of dedicated experts, we understand every industry, every region, and every phase of the lifecycle of a business.Advisory and Core ServicesGet free services. Access no-cost, personalized 1-on-1 advising for every stage of your journey.Business EducationGet educated. Access their resource library and learning opportunities from across the state.Research + DataGet research-driven insights. Access their research network + data to support your project. Federal Funding AnnouncementsThis summary includes new or updated opportunities in the following areas. Please click on the topic below to view all grant announcements:Agriculture, Food and NutritionArts, Culture and HistoryBusiness, Jobs and Workforce DevelopmentChildren, Youth, Families, Older Americans and VeteransCommunity DevelopmentCrime Prevention, Justice and Public SafetyEducationEnergy, Environment and WildlifeHealthHousing and HomelessnessInfrastructure, Transportation and WaterInternational DevelopmentScience, Technology and Research This summary has been brought to you by the Office of Congressman Paul D. Tonko (NY-20). Does one of these grants accept Congressional Letters of Support? Please contact our office to find out how Rep. Tonko can support your request. Grant deadlines and guidelines may change. Please check with the awarding agency before applying. Please feel free to share this newsletter with others who may be interested. To join or remove yourself from this mailing list, or if you have specific grant questions, please contact Natalie Lincoln at [email protected] or (518) 465-0700.