New York opens $76 million grant round for county infrastructure projects
New York has opened a third round of County Infrastructure Grant Program funding, with applications due Feb. 5, 2027, after four North Country counties received $2.5 million in the previous round.
By Caleb Mercer, ClickNNY North Country Desk
New York has opened a third round of its County Infrastructure Grant Program, making $76 million available for county-led projects involving housing, community improvements and tourism. Applications are due Feb. 5, 2027, under an announcement from Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office.
The program supports small- and medium-sized projects led by counties. Projects that create at least 10 housing units may receive up to $1.5 million, while projects creating fewer than 10 units may receive up to $1 million.
A Letter of Intent must be submitted before a final application. Empire State Development is expected to hold a webinar for counties in mid-November 2026. Only a county’s chief elected official may submit an application.
The new round follows more than $38 million awarded to 49 projects statewide in the second round. Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties received a combined $2.5 million.
Jefferson County’s $1 million award went to the Village of Clayton for utility extensions supporting up to 20 workforce housing units. The project includes about 1,000 linear feet of municipal water and wastewater lines, engineering, site preparation, grading, stormwater management and a municipal access road.
Lewis County received $500,000 for Port Leyden, St. Lawrence County received $500,000 for Ogdensburg and Franklin County received $500,000 for Malone.
The program was created in the state’s fiscal 2025 budget with $50 million. The fiscal 2026 and fiscal 2027 budgets each added another $50 million. Empire State Development launched the program in November 2024.
The state says the program has funded nearly 100 projects and about 6,000 homes through its first two rounds, with more than $74 million awarded.
Each county may submit one application per round, so county decisions will determine which projects advance from Northern New York. Counties can review the County Infrastructure Grant Program guidelines for application requirements and program details.
Reported by ClickNNY and reviewed by an editor before publication.
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