The New York State 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.
The program prioritizes support for tourism infrastructure and amenity improvements, and events. Projects and events that are accessible to all community members, with a particular focus on addressing service and amenity gaps, will be prioritized in 2026.
Funding is open to counties, municipalities, units of local government, not-for-profit organizations, and federally recognized Native American tribes.
Applications for 2026 are now closed. We will announce awardees in early February.
Award Range:
$5,000 to $24,000
Award Range:
$500 to $3,000
Program Objectives
Projects submitted should demonstrate how they will achieve one or more program objectives:
- facilitate recreation and/or tourism
- enhance visitor amenities and/or improve the visitor experience
- encourage overnight stays
- commemorate the history, heritage, or culture of the canals
- make recreational and tourism assets more accessible for people with and without disabilities and expand audiences served
- improve and/or promote connectivity between recreation areas and communities or between waterways and land trails
2026 Timeline & Workshops
- Applications Open: October 14, 2025
- Applications Due: November 21, 2025
- Awards Announced: February 2026
Erie Canalway and the NYS Canal Corporation hosted two virtual workshops to help applicants improve accessibility for their projects and events. Applicants are strongly encouraged to watch the recordings. Find them below.
2026 Events Accessibility Workshop and Information Session
Recording of the 9/15/2025 Accessibility Workshop and Information Session to help applicants improve accessibility for their community events and festivals.
2026 Tourism Infrastructure Amenities Accessibility Workshop and Information Session
Recording of the 9/18/2025 Accessibility Workshop and Information Session to help applicants improve accessibility for their projects.
Resources
General:
Canal Recreationway Plan 2025
The Canal Recreationway Plan 2050 is a vision statement for the Canal System's future, aiming to further enhance the System's impact on tourism, recreation, and economic development while expanding its focus to include environmental stewardship, accessibility, and strategic land use.
ECNHC Preservation and Management Plan
The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Preservation and Management Plan outlines strategies to preserve the Corridor's unique sense of place, balance sustainable economic growth with heritage development, and position the Corridor as a premier destination for regional, national, and international visitors.
Tourism Infrastructure and Amenities:
2025 Amenities Study
Designed to help canal municipalities, counties, and non-profits create a consistent and predictable experience for all types of recreational users.
NYS Canal Corporation Branding and Amenity Design Standards
Your one-stop shop for updated branding and designs for signs and amenities, including links to the following:
- Canal Design Standards – Guidelines for Public Space Improvement- For use on Canal Corporation property or by those with permits to enhance such property, this document provides specifications for benches, tables, lighting, bicycle fix-it stations, drinking fountains, garbage receptacles, play structures, and more. The package of standards includes approved vendors, installation details, and accessibility considerations.
- NYS Canal Corporation Signage Guidelines- Signage guidelines provide required graphic standards, fonts, layouts, colors, materials, and installation details for wayfinding and interpretive signs along Canal waterways and trails, and at all NYSCC locations.
Empire State Trail Design Guidelines for Signage
Guidelines for Canalway Trail wayfinding signage on property that is owned by any entity outside of the NYS Canal Corporation.
Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways
Guidelines for on-road wayfinding signage
Hand-Launch Facility Design Guide
Best practices and guidelines for design, construction, and operation of paddle craft launches on the NYS Canalway Water Trail.
Guidelines to maximize access by everyone.
- Best Practices for Parks and Recreation Areas
- Best Practices for Playgrounds
- Best Practices for Toilet Rooms
- Best Practices for Fishing and Boating Facilities
Events:
Adaptive Cycling Along the Erie Canalway: TRAID on the Trails
Fitness Inclusion Network (Fit-IN)'s guide to adaptive cycling and planning an inclusive recreational event along the Canalway Trail
Guide to Planning a Paddling Event
Rochester Accessible Adventures Inclusive Event Guide
Rochester Accessible Adventures guide to planning an event through a lens of inclusion.
Person-first and Identity-First Language Glossary
A valuable communications resource for marketing inclusive events that champion equity, diversity, and inclusion in the spaces where people live, work, and play.
