Erie Canal in Fairport by Canalway Challenge finisher Nicole Botti | |
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We’re grateful for another outstanding canal season.
Thank you for enjoying and caring about this extraordinary historic waterway! It was a lively season of events, recreational activities, community gatherings, and canal improvements. Your support and engagement in 2026 helped us strengthen recreation, tourism, heritage conservation, and education throughout the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. Together, we are ensuring that New York’s canals remain a beautiful ribbon of water connecting and strengthening communities across upstate New York.
| | Canalway Challenge finishers logged more than 258,500 miles. | | 5,500 students participated in educational field trips thanks to our Ticket to Ride program. | | 450 miles of the NYS Canalway Water Trail were adopted by 100 Volunteer Stewards. | | Hudson Crossing Park, Champlain Canal, Schuylerville | | |
Apply for Canalway Tourism Grants by 11/20/26
Have an idea that could enhance tourism, recreation or community experiences along New York's canal system?
Applications are open for the 2027 NYS Canal System Tourism Infrastructure and Events Grants, offered in collaboration with the NYS Canal Corporation. Funding opportunities include:
- $500-$3,000 for events and festivals that encourage people to explore the Canalway
- $5,000-$24,000 for tourism and recreation infrastructure improvements and equipment
Nearly $230,000 will be awarded this year. Apply by Friday, November 20.
| | Many thanks to the National Park Service and the NYS Canal Corporation for their support for the calendar! | | |
Pick up a 2027 Calendar starting Dec. 1
Our 2027 Erie Canalway Calendar is almost ready to hit the stands. You can pick one up free of charge starting December 1 at selected libraries, historic sites, and visitor centers throughout the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. We hope its stunning images inspire you to visit, get involved, and appreciate the history and beauty of this magnificent waterway throughout the coming year.
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Showcase your canal community in 2027
Would you like to showcase your community or site as part of a coordinated Erie Canalway marketing campaign? The new Erie Canalway Marketing Toolkit offers evergreen graphics and banners for the Erie, Champlain, Cayuga-Seneca, and Oswego canals, helping communities and sites promote their canal connections while creating a unified identity across the canal system. We plan to make a splash with the new graphics in 2027 and are looking for communities and canal sites to feature.
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Maritime Heritage Subgrant Program
The New York State National Maritime Heritage Subgrant Program offers local governments, tribal governments, 501(c)(3) organizations, and NYS qualified nonprofit organizations an exciting opportunity to seek funding for Maritime Heritage education and preservation.
- $5,000-$50,000 for MH/Education grant awards
- $15,000-$200,000 for MH/Preservation awards
Application period opens on November 2, 2026 and closes on January 15, 2027.
| | | | KUDOS! The American Planning Association recognized Colliers Engineering and Design with a 2026 award for Master Planning for the Erie Canal Amenities Study completed in 2025. Directed by the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and the NYS Canal Corporation, the study offers a comprehensive conditions evaluation and long-term plan for recreational amenities, like rest rooms, water, charging stations, and storage facilities, on the Erie Canal. READ THE STUDY | | The Erie Canalway Heritage Fund is the 501(c)(3) nonprofit partner of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. | | |
Make a Lasting Commitment
By supporting the Erie Canalway Heritage Fund you are fueling a bright future for the Canalway Corridor. Whether you give to honor a family member or friend, to preserve the past, or to advance the canal’s future, you join a community united by a lasting commitment to make the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor a better place for everyone.
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