Northern New York NBRC counties can apply for economic, infrastructure-development grants

The New York State Department of State has announced the availability of more than $5 million in federal grant funding for economic and community development within New York’s northern-border region.

Competitive grant funding is available for qualified projects within New York’s 28 counties in the federally designated Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC).

The counties that comprise the Northern Border region of New York state include Cayuga, Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Genesee, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Montgomery, Niagara, Oneida, Orleans, Oswego, Rensselaer, St. Lawrence, Saratoga, Schenectady, Seneca, Sullivan, Warren, Washington, Wayne, and Yates.

Local governments and nonprofit organizations in New York’s NBRC counties are eligible to apply for these competitive grants.

“Economic development is not a one size fits all and programs like the NBRC prioritize the unique needs and desires of communities,” New York State Secretary of State Robert Rodriguez said in a release. “The Northern Border Regional Commission is a resource for communities across much of New York’s upstate region to support their efforts to build and sustain community development infrastructure, including water, sewer infrastructure, and broadband to support overall community development. I would like to thank our congressional delegation for their continued support for this critical assistance.”

Application forms for NBRC grants and additional information on the Northern Border Region is available at the NBRC website.

This year, letters of interest are due April 22 by 5 p.m. Final applications will be due on June 3 and must be submitted through the application portal hosted by the NBRC.

Eligible projects

The Department of State’s Division of Local Government Services works with the NBRC and regional planning organizations to solicit project applications.

To be eligible for grant consideration, projects must fall within one of several categories. They include: transportation infrastructure, basic public infrastructure, telecommunications infrastructure, employment-related education, entrepreneurship, technology, and business development, basic health care and other public services to assist economically distressed areas, resource conservation, tourism, recreation, and preservation of open space for economic development, and development of renewable and alternative-energy sources.

Applicants are eligible to pursue funding up to $1 million for infrastructure projects and $350,000 for other projects. NBRC grants awarded within distressed counties require a 20 percent local match, while the required match in transitional counties is 50 percent, the state noted.

About the NBRC

The Northern Border Regional Commission is a regional economic-development partnership between federal, state, and local government. It includes portions of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

The commission includes the governors of the four northern border states and a federal co-chair, who is appointed by the U.S. president. New York’s Northern Border Regional Commission is administered within the New York State Department of State Division of Local Government Services.