Why it matters: The state limits this round to applicants with New York's Pro-Housing Community designation, a requirement set in the FY 2025 Enacted Budget.
New York State has opened a $200 million funding round across its two downtown economic development programs: Round 10 of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) and Round 5 of NY Forward, Governor Kathy Hochul's office announced on Oct. 29, 2026.
Applications are submitted through the state's Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) portal and are due by 4 p.m. on Jan. 8, 2027. New York City communities face an earlier step: the state says they are to submit their applications to their Borough President's office by Dec. 30, 2026. An application webinar will be held on Nov. 5, 2026; registration is through the DRI and NY Forward websites, and a recording will be posted there, according to the release.
Who can apply. The state limits applications to holders of its "Pro-Housing Community" designation. That requirement for cities, towns and villages to access state discretionary programs, including the DRI and NY Forward, was set in the FY 2025 Enacted Budget. The state says more than 460 municipalities have been certified so far, per the governor's office.
The two programs. The DRI, started in 2016 and led by the Department of State, has awarded a total of $1 billion to 101 communities in its first nine rounds. NY Forward, first announced in the 2022 budget, is aimed at smaller and rural communities, with a focus on hamlets and villages. It has awarded $340 million to 77 communities over four rounds and offers two $4.5 million awards per region. In New York City, NY Forward funding is combined with DRI funding for one $20 million DRI award. On Long Island, NY Forward funding instead goes to two DRI awards totaling $20 million, the release says. Across both programs, the state reports $1.34 billion awarded to 178 communities.
Sources
How we checked this: We read the New York governor's Oct 29, 2026 release in a copy saved on Nov 1, 2026 at 7:20 PM ET, and checked each date, dollar amount and rule in this story against it.
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