WELLSVILLE — While federal grant funding in various programs could be in a state of flux this spring, officials with Empire State Development note that New York state offers access to millions of dollars in grant opportunities.
Representatives from Empire State Development — deputy director Erin Corraro and origination team member Jerome Nagy — conducted a grant workshop in Wellsville on Thursday outlining grant opportunities available.
Located in Buffalo, the regional office represents Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties. The event was sponsored by the Allegany County Department of Planning and Development and hosted at the Creative Arts Center. More than 20 people representing several organizations and other municipalities attended.
“This program was organized to help local businesses and nonprofit organizations connect to the various economic development resources available from the state,” Corraro said.
The state is offering $265 million in grant funding from seven different state resources including Empire State Development, Homes and Community Renewal, Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Department of State, Canal Corporation, Energy Research and Development Authority and Department of Environmental Conservation.
In addition, Corraro said the ACHIEVE Competition will again take place this year.
“The governor is looking for bigger projects that will impact regions, so the ACHIEVE (Advancing Collaboration for High-impact Initiatives for Economic Visions & Expansion) Competition has been revived,” she said.
Up to $150 million in funding is available through the ACHIEVE Competition — $120 million for capital funds and $30 million for working capital. The competition emphasizes collaboration between different areas to unite regions in working toward a transformative goal, she explained.
For more information concerning the ACHIEVE Competition contact the Regional Economic Development Council.
Funding opportunities are also available from the Regional Economic Development Council Initiative, Innovative Resources, Entrepreneur Development, Minority and Women’s Business Development, Workforce Development, Small Business. Capital Access, Connect All, Division of Tourism, New York Ventures, The Governor’s Office of Motion Pictures and Television Development and Global New York.
Corraro said the regional office of ESD has resources available from the state.
“We help support the development of applications and advocate for projects that provide real economic benefits to the region,” she said.
Th ESD also provides a portal to help those in need of grant funding to access resources pertaining to grant funding opportunities.
Find the Consolidated Funding Application portal at apps.cio.ny.gov/apps/cfa/
To find out more about grants funding opportunities offered by the state or for help with deadlines or finetuning applications connect with the ESD Origination Team via Jerome.Nagy@esd.ny.gov or Erin.Corraro@esd.ny.gov.
