Greater Irvington Land Trust Launches 2025 Community Grant Program

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GILT board member Neil Maher announces last year's grant winners

January 29, 2025

The Greater Irvington Land Trust (GILT) is launching its 2025 Community Grant Program this week.

The Community Grant Program provides financial support for local, community-based projects that support the preservation and protection of open space and promote environmental sustainability in Irvington, East Irvington, Dobbs Ferry, Tarrytown and Hastings.

For 2025, GILT will provide four to six small grants (collectively valued at $10,000 in total) for local, community-based projects that advance and promote the following goals and priorities:

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Preserving and maintaining existing open space, including protecting and advancing the health and environmental sustainability of that open space.

Promoting awareness and education about the need for and the benefits of preserving and protecting open space.

Supporting equal access for everyone in our communities to funding regarding the preservation, maintenance, awareness, and educational potential of open space, including giving consideration to under-served areas and neighborhoods.

These projects must be based in the greater Irvington area, which as noted above includes the Villages of Irvington, East Irvington, Dobbs Ferry, Tarrytown and Hastings, and should be designed to be completed within 12 months.

This year’s grant program builds on the great success of GILT’s 2024 Community Grant Program supporting open space:

· GILT provided $1,650 in funding to the Dobbs Ferry Beautification Committee to plant native trees and shrubs to enhance the commuter space at the Dobbs Ferry Waterfront bus stop.

· GILT provided $1,500 in funding to the Irvington Green Policy Task Force to remove invasive plants and plant native plants on the Old Croton Aqueduct in Irvington.

· GILT provided $1,500 in funding to the Friends of the Dobbs Ferry Waterfront Park to expand the pollinator pathway, remove invasive plants and plant native plants on the Dobbs Ferry waterfront.

· GILT provided $2,000 to O’Hara Nature Center’s Changing Forest Program to purchase native shrubs and hardwood trees to plant in the deer enclosures in the Irvington Woods.

Applications can be submitted now through March 14, 2024. The attached PDF includes the application, along with a press release and a fact sheet as well as a link to the Application and Fact Sheet. https://bit.ly/3CsDIDh.

About GILT

Since its formation in 2006, GILT has been dedicated to preserving and advocating for open space and parkland and promoting environmental sustainability in Irvington, New York, and its surrounding communities. As a result of GILT’s advocacy, the Village of Irvington has dedicated as protected parkland over 65 acres of Village-owned property in the Irvington Woods and around Halsey Pond, the Irvington Woods Park is now one of the largest, protected woodland parks in southern Westchester, and the Village of Dobbs Ferry is working to create a new, expanded 14-acre village park along the Saw Mill River.

Community Grant Program

GILT is launching its 2025 Community Grant Program to provide financial support for local, community- based projects that support the preservation and protection of open space and promote environmental sustainability in Irvington and its surrounding communities.GILT is seeking applications for up to three grants (collectively valued at $10,000 in total) for local, community-based projects that advance and promote the following goals and priorities:

Preserving and maintaining existing open space, including protecting and advancing the health and environmental sustainability of that open space.

Promoting awareness and education about the need for and the benefits of preserving and protecting open space.

Supporting equal access to funding for everyone in our communities regarding the preservation, maintenance, awareness, and educational potential of open space, including giving consideration to under-served areas and neighborhoods. These projects will be based in the greater Irvington area, which includes the Villages of Irvington, Dobbs Ferry, Tarrytown and Hastings and in East Irvington, and will be designed to be completed within 12 months.

Grant Application Grant proposals will be evaluated for cost-effectiveness, projected benefits, community outreach, and education and local support. Applications should include:

1. Brief project description,

2. Proposed budget for the project,

3. List of community collaborators,

4. Schedule for implementation of the project,

5. Description of how your proposed project addresses and supports GILT’s goals, and

6. Description of how you will measure success of the project

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