Projects funded via the Marine and Coastal District Small Grants Program are supported through a partnership between New York Sea Grant, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the Marine and Coastal District of New York Conservation, Education, and Research Grants Program. 

The late Senator Owen H. Johnson and former State Assemblyman Robert Sweeney introduced legislation that established the "Marine and Coastal District of New York Conservation, Education, and Research Grants Program," whose board administers funding for these projects. 

This small grant program is funded with $25 from the annual fee charged for New York State’s Marine and Coastal District of New York license plates, which features the Montauk Lighthouse and striped bass. 

The grants promote marine sport fishing, increase participation in marine recreational angling, increase public awareness and appreciation of marine and estuarine natural resources, encourage conservation of marine fisheries resources, and promote research and increased knowledge of the state's marine and estuarine natural resources.