Governor Kathy Hochul announced the first round of funding is available from the new $150 million NY SWIMS capital grant program. Governor Hochul secured this funding in the FY 2025 Enacted Budget to expand access to safe swimming opportunities for New Yorkers, address equity gaps, and provide resources for communities facing extreme heat. The first application round will make up to $90 million available for municipal swimming facility projects in underserved communities across New York State. The remaining NY SWIMS capital funding will be made available during subsequent application periods.
“Drownings in New York State have reached record levels in the last few years, and our kids are particularly vulnerable,” Governor Hochul said. “Through NY SWIMS, we’re making sure that all New Yorkers know how to swim through the largest statewide investment in swimming since the New Deal. We look forward to municipalities taking advantage of this opportunity to create new ways to provide children and their families safe spaces to learn how to swim and prevent childhood drowning.”
Included in Governor Hochul’s FY 2025 Enacted Budget and State of the State proposals, the program offers grants between $50,000 and $10 million to acquire, design, construct or reconstruct facilities, provide major renovations, improvements, and modernization or rehabilitation of swimming facilities and natural swimming areas. The Request for Applications for the first round of funding was posted today at www.dasny.org and www.parks.ny.gov.
