The New York Department of State (DOS) today announced the availability of federal grant funding for economic and community development within New York’s Northern Border Region. This year, more than $3.5 million will be available to communities within New York’s 28 federally-designated Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) Counties. The NBRC is a regional economic development partnership between Federal and State government.  The Region includes portions of the States of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

Established in 2008, the NBRC originally covered 14 Counties in New York: Cayuga, Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Oswego, St. Lawrence and Seneca. In 2018, the program’s reauthorization doubled New York’s NBRC footprint by including the Counties of: Genesee, Greene, Livingston, Montgomery, Niagara, Orleans, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Sullivan, Warren, Washington, Wayne and Yates. Local governments and not-for-profit organizations in New York’s NBRC Counties are eligible apply for these competitive grants.

“We are grateful that New York’s Congressional Delegation continues to recognize the importance of these community development funds to counties across the State,” said New York State Secretary of State Rossana Rosado. “2018 was the largest year yet in terms of NBRC funding invested in New York, and we are proud that this unique opportunity will now be made available to more New Yorkers.”

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 and considered for these grants, projects must fall within one of the following categories:

1. Transportation infrastructure;
2. Basic public infrastructure;
3. Telecommunications infrastructure;
4. Employment-related education, entrepreneurship, technology, and business development;
5. Basic health care and other public services to assist economically distressed areas;
6. Resource conservation, tourism, recreation, and preservation of open space for economic development; and
7. Development of renewable and alternative energy sources.

Applications are eligible to be funded for up to $500,000 for infrastructure projects and $250,000 other projects. NBRC grants within distressed counties require a 20 percent match, while the required match in transitional counties is 50 percent.

“The NBRC provides a direct focus on communities that can be overlooked for investment by other programs,” said Mark Pattison, Deputy Secretary of State for Local Government Services. “The ability to partner with and learn from our partner NBRC States provides a tremendous opportunity to share best practices and understand common needs and opportunities within communities across the region.”

In 2018, New York State administered funding for eight NBRC projects for a total of $2.86 million. Projects included water and sewer infrastructure, telecommunications, business development, entrepreneurship assistance, and transportation:

• Town of Herkimer (Herkimer County) – $500,000 – Wastewater Infrastructure
• Adirondack North Country Association (Multi-County) – $248,364 – Creation of the Adirondack North Country Center for Businesses in Transition
• Town of Volney (Oswego County) – $500,000 – Wastewater Infrastructure
• Jefferson Community College (Lewis County) – $250,000 – Lewis County Education Center
• Town of Inlet (Hamilton County) – $352,000 – Telecommunications
• Town of Crown Point (Essex County) – $500,000 – Wastewater Infrastructure
• City of Rome (Oneida County) – $400,000 – Rail and Highway Bridge Rehabilitation
• State University of New York at Canton (St. Lawrence County) – $111,326 – Entrepreneurship Accelerator

Application forms for NBRC grants and additional information on the Northern Border Region is available at the NBRC and DOS websites. Applications must be submitted through the online application portal no later than 5:00p.m. on Friday May 10, 2019.

The Northern Border Regional Commission is composed of the Governors of the 4 Northern Border states and a Federal Co-Chair, who is appointed by the President of the United States. Each year Congress appropriates funds for Commission programs.