The New York Department of State (DOS) today announced the availability of $4.5 million in federal grant funding for economic and community development within New York’s Northern Border Region. The grant funding is 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, which includes portions of the States of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

 The Northern Border region of New York State contains the following twenty-eight counties: 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 not-for-profit organizations in New York’s NBRC Counties are eligible to apply for these competitive grants.

 “The NBRC investments are helping communities throughout the Northern Border region of New York State implement locally identified priorities to support community development,” said New York State Secretary of State Rossana Rosado. “We are grateful that New York’s Congressional Delegation continues to recognize the importance of these funds to Upstate New York.  The Department of State looks forward to working with our partners to implement these funds with communities throughout the NBRC region.”

 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 $1,000,000 for infrastructure projects and $350,000 for other projects. NBRC grants within distressed counties require a 20 percent match, while the required match in transitional counties is 50 percent.

In 2019, New York State recommended funding for nine NBRC projects for over $3.5 million.  Projects funded include water and sewer infrastructure, telecommunications, business development, entrepreneurship assistance, and transportation:

• Village of Lake George (Warren County) - $500,000 – Wastewater Infrastructure
• City of Auburn (Cayuga County) - $500,000 – Water Infrastructure
• Village of Rouses Point (Clinton County) - $500,000 – Transportation and Water Infrastructure
• Clinton County - $500,000 – Transportation, Water and Wastewater Infrastructure
• Orleans County IDA - $480,000 – Rail Infrastructure Upgrades
• Cornell Cooperative Extension (Jefferson, Lewis, Oswego, St. Lawrence Counties) - $203,145 – Food Hub Development
• Washington County Sewer District #2 - $500,000 – Water, Sewer and Stormwater Infrastructure
• Town of Wilmington (Essex County) - $123,112 - Decentralized Wastewater Treatment System
• Town of Elizabethtown (Essex County) – $250,000 - Trail Development and Downtown Connectivity

Application forms for NBRC grants and additional information on the Northern Border Region are available at the NBRC and DOS websites. Applications must be submitted through the online application portal no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday May 15, 2020.

The Northern Border Regional Commission is composed of the Governors of the four 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.

                                                                           ###