Long Island Sound Futures Fund Welcomes New Face to Director Role

In May, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation welcomed Carrie Clingan to the role of program director of the Long Island Sound Futures Fund, replacing long-time director Lynn Dwyer. Appointed Program Director of Northeast Watersheds with NFWF, an area that includes the Sound region, Clingan brings to the Futures Fund over a decade of experience in grantmaking and a passion for engaging communities in conservation.

The Long Island Sound Futures Fund is a multi-million-dollar grant program that supports projects in local communities that aim to protect and restore Long Island Sound. Funding is prioritized for efforts that align with the Long Island Sound Study’s Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan, addressing goals of clean water, thriving habitats, and resilient communities. For 2024, $12.5 million was awarded to 31 projects across the Long Island Sound region.

Clingan, a native of New York, earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in printmaking from Rochester Institute of Technology. In undergrad, Clingan minored in American politics which sparked an interest that led her to a master’s degree in public policy from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. However, the jump from fine arts to politics wasn’t unexpected.

“I think I’ve always been interested in engagement, talking to people, getting to know why people do the things that they do and what policies can help them,” said Clingan. “I was just really interested in how people think about their lives and how their lives can be made better and safer through policymaking.”

Clingan’s father is from Glen Cove and her grandfather is from Oyster Bay, two municipalities on Long Island’s North Shore.

“Actually, my great grandfather moved from Ireland and then was working on what is now Planting Fields Arboretum Historic State Park,” recalled Clingan. “So, kind of long connections to Long Island Sound.”

After graduating, Clingan worked as a legislative assistant in the Office of Congressman Michael McNulty, before his retirement in 2009.

“That was when I got handed the environmental water portfolio,” said Clingan. “I started to concentrate more on the environment and the role of federal policy in helping our waterways be cleaned and helping people get access to them.”

Upon leaving the US Capitol, Clingan became a community services associate for the National Association of Counties (NACo), working to increase the knowledge and function of natural resource management by local officials. In this role, she managed over $1.5 million in community-based habitat restoration grants. Four years with NACo led to more grantmaking in community conservation. Starting first as a manager in 2012 at NFWF and working her way up to program director, Clingan implemented grant funding through federal and nonfederal partnerships with Bezos Earth Fund, FedEx, Wells Fargo, Salesforce, EPA, US Forest Service, and US Fish and Wildlife Service.

A key part of this implementation was her involvement with the Five Star Urban Waters Program, which aims to develop a nationwide community of natural resource stewards. Grants under this program address water quality issues like erosion, stormwater pollution, and degrading shorelines. 

“That program really helps counties and local governments, and also small non-profits do very community-based projects that marry restoration and healthy watersheds with community engagement and public access,” said Clingan.

Following Dwyer’s retirement, Clingan changed roles from Program Director of Community Stewardship and Youth to Program Director of Northeast Watersheds, which includes the Long Island Sound Futures Fund program.

“Luckily, I wasn’t working from scratch since I have been with NFWF for twelve years and doing grantmaking through different programs,” said Clingan. “The Long Island Sound has a really unique watershed and it’s a bit like coming home…Everyone has been so supportive, friendly, and helpful.”

Moving into the future, Clingan hopes to improve the application process and make it easier to understand, especially for those applying for the first time.

“I’m also looking forward to getting to know the grantees a little better and to understand the projects and how they all connect with the new Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan,” said Clingan.