The New York State Department of State (DOS) provides funding for 6 distinct programs. In 2012, DOS awarded $91.1 million to 62 Projects in the Southern Tier alone. Grant programs such as those sponsored by ARC and LGe are designed to meet the unique needs of our region. See details below on these special programs.
Search for DOS grants on NY Grants Gateway
The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) was established by Congress in 1965 to improve the economy and quality of life in Appalachia, which runs through part of New York's Southern Tier. Historically NYS’s ARC Program has supported projects in the following categories: Education and Job Training; Community Development; Leadership and Civic Capacity Building; Healthcare Access; Business Development; Research and Technical Assistance; Transportation; and Environment and Natural Resources. Examples of previous grantees and helpful resources can be found at the Southern Tier East Regional Planning Development Board website.
Some examples of ARC funding include:
- Challenge Industries was awarded nearly $200,000 from ARC for sustainable agricultural initiatives.
- $150,000 was awarded to the Village of Bath and Pulteney Square Park for a downtown revitalization project.
- The Southern Tier Advanced Manufacturing initative was awarded $144,000 for expansion purposes.
ARC is a very important resource for Tompkins County given its unique mission to help Appalachian.
ARC has an Application Guidance document that helps applicants with the grant seeking process.
ARC Application Guidance (.DOC)
The Local Government Efficiency (LGe) Grant Program provides technical assistance and competitive grants to local governments for the development of projects that will achieve savings and improve municipal efficiency through shared services, cooperative agreements, mergers, consolidations and dissolutions.
Some examples of LGe funding include:
- A grant totaling $244,969 awarded to Cayuga County and the Town of Sempronius to construct a shared salt storage facility and to implement shared delivery of highway services
- A $266,030 project in Tompkins County (and 13 municipalities) to establish a health care consortium to develop a comprehensive employee health insurance program.
Previously the DOS also established $15 million for a “Local Waterfront Revitalization (LWRP)” competitive grant program aimed at developing communities’ waterfronts to promote economic vitality.
Through this program, the City of Geneva was awarded $450,000 to help design and construct a “Finger Lakes Boating Museum” on Seneca Lake and to continue redevelopment of the lake front.
The Department of State’s (DOS) website also has an overview of all available grant programs sorted by the date they were issued and the date they are due - very helpful when scheduling grant applications.
Link to DOS grant timeline overview
Click here to return to the State Grants by Departments and Divisions page