County Infrastructure Grant Program

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Objective

Under New York’s County Infrastructure Grant Program, Empire State Development will provide up to $50 million in grants to support county-led infrastructure projects across the State, with enhanced awards for projects supporting the creation of housing. 

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Overview

The Program intentionally focuses on smaller-scale infrastructure projects which may lack standalone funding sources, but nevertheless are priority capital projects for counties. The Program is designed to invest in projects that: contribute to placemaking, support the creation of housing, and encourage visitation and tourism.

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Program Status

Program Launch: Friday, November 22, 2024

Round 1 will expire Tuesday, April 1, 2025, OR when all eligible Counties have applied and/or notified us of no application forthcoming.

 

Upcoming Webinar

Tuesday, December 17, 2024 at 10:00 AM

Register here

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Eligibility

Eligible Applicants

  • Counties located in NYS, excluding the counties of Kings, Queens, Richmond, Bronx, and New York.

Eligible Projects

  • Small and moderate-scale priority infrastructure projects identified by the county which directly or indirectly support economic development, support the creation of housing, contribute to placemaking, or encourage tourism.

Eligible Uses of Funds

  • Construction, expansion, and/or rehabilitation of municipal, utility, or other public property and/or ancillary infrastructure to support such developments;
  • Extension or reconstruction of road, water, sewer, or utilities;
  • Design or engineering costs related to construction (limited to 20% of total project cost);
  • Acquisition of machinery and equipment related to infrastructure projects; 
  • Placemaking and beautification project costs;
  • Site preparation, demolition, acquisition of real property related to the county-led infrastructure project; and
  • Other capital uses as determined by Empire State Development (ESD)

Grant Funding

  • All projects that do not directly support the creation of at least (10) ten new housing units, are eligible for an award up to $500,000.
  • All projects that directly support the creation of at least (10) ten new housing units, are eligible for an award up to $1,000,000. 
  • Minimum 50% non-ESD match required
  • A non-refundable $250 application fee will be required
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How to Apply

  • Program Guidelines
  • Letter of Intent – Counties are invited to submit an optional Letter of Intent to ESD, to describe the proposed project and determine eligibility, prior to a full application. Letter of Intent should be sent to the email below, with a subject line of “County Name – Letter of Intent.”
  • Applications – Will be accepted on a rolling basis through rounds, in the CFA Portal.
  • Awards will be allocated through rounds, until funding is exhausted.
  • Only one application and one grant are permitted per county, each round.
  • Any unspent funds will be redeployed in future rounds, at the discretion of ESD.