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Building Cleaner Communities Competition

 

Clean and Resilient Spaces for Thriving Local Economies and Communities

NYSERDA has $15 million of funding available to support regionally significant, zero emissions, carbon neutral, and resilient new construction and existing building renovation projects across New York State. Building Cleaner Communities projects demonstrate how they will help achieve the goals of the New York State Regional Economic Development Council’s Strategic Plan Link opens in new window - close new window to return to this page. or other State priorities, while creating beautiful and functional spaces that are healthy, safe, comfortable.

NYSERDA’s Building Cleaner Communities Competition – formerly known as the Carbon Neutral Community Economic Development program - supports the design and construction of carbon neutral or net zero energy performance in two categories. Category A provides funding at the facility level, supporting building-specific measures for efficiency, all-electric heating and cooling, renewable energy, storage and electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Category B provides funding at the community and campus level supporting planning, energy modeling, design, technical analysis needed for carbon neutral or net zero performance of the large-scale project. The program is open to existing and new construction buildings to achieve carbon neutral or net zero energy performance.

Apply Here

Benefits Offered to Building Owners

NYSERDA’s Building Cleaner Communities Competition offers funding for clean and resilient buildings and communities as a way to reduce barriers tied to the design, development, and implementation of these projects that will ultimately be good for both businesses and occupants.

Zero Emission Buildings

Exceptionally energy-efficient buildings designed and constructed to be resilient and utilize all-electric mechanical, heating, cooling and ventilation equipment with low GWP refrigerants, lighting, and renewable systems.

Innovative Solutions

Allow building owners and designers to explore new methodologies to build and integrate new systems, technologies, and products into the buildings to achieve carbon neutral or net zero energy status.

Healthy Building Practices

Bring building owners value with well-designed comfortable, efficient, safe environments that promote healthy indoor air quality, combat allergens and asthma, and emphasize occupant control.

Resilient Building Strategies

Applicants are encouraged to use strategies like passive survivability during extended power outages, address forward looking climate conditions, and community resilience enhancing strategies.

Third Party Certification

Applicants and their design teams are encouraged to investigate and design to third party certifications, such as Passive House, to help achieve carbon neutral or net zero energy status.

Expanding Market Demand

Support market positioning at the forefront of zero emission building design, construction, and development.

Funding Overview

The financial support for projects in both Category A and Cateogry B will be capped at $2,000,000.

Category A

Funding can be comprised of both a dollar per square foot amount and flat incentive amounts for various project elements.

  1. $45 per square foot for projects owned by a 501(c)(3) entity.
  2. $35 per square for all other projects.
  3. $300,000 for projects committed to designing to and certifying to the Passive House standard.
  4. $300,00 for projects committed to installing Ground Source Heat Pumps.
  5. $150,000 for projects committed to installing a battery storage system.
  6. $100,000 for projects committed to installing a solar photovoltaic system.

Category B

Funding will be 75% of the incremental cost to plan and design a community, campus, or large real estate portfolio project to carbon neutral or net zero energy performance status.

Eligibility

  • Projects can be located anywhere in New York State.
  • Projects are part of the commercial sector.
  • Applicants can include building owners or developers.
  • Applications must be submitted prior to issuance of the building permit.
  • Project can be new construction or existing buildings going through substantial renovations, gut rehabilitations, or adaptive reuse.
  • Project needs to meet carbon neutral or net zero energy performance status.

How to Apply

Applications to this program are submitted through the New York State Consolidated Funding Application.

Apply Here

Applications will be accepted continuously from May 19, 2025 through July 31, 2025, at 4:00 p.m.

Have questions or need more information?

For additional information, please reference the following: http://www.regionalcouncils.ny.gov Link opens in new window - close new window to return to this page.

For questions, please contact [email protected]

Winning Projects

Winners of NYSERDA’s Building Cleaner Communities Competition awards offer real world examples of economic development projects that are designed to meet decarbonization goals. The below list of projects span a diverse range of sectors including agriculture, downtown revitalization, mixed use, institutional, arts and culture, workforce development, manufacturing, as well as food and beverage production.

 


2024 Building Cleaner Communities Competition

Project: Brownsville Arts Center
Award: $1,700,000
Company: Brownsville Arts Owner LLC
REDC: New York City

Project: Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens
Award: $1,412,384
Company: Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens Society, Inc.
REDC: Western New York

Project: Carbon Neutral Hawthorne Valley
Award: $1,283,803
Company: Hawthorne Valley Association
REDC: Capital District

Project: Chester Agricultural Center Farmworker Housing
Award: $1,340,883
Company: Chester Agricultural Center, Inc.
REDC: Mid-Hudson

Project: Innovation Center Construction
Award: $2,000,000
Company: Trustees of Hamilton College
REDC: Mohawk Valley

Project: Schenectady Environmental Education Center
Award: $118,920
Company: City of Schenectady
REDC: Capital District

Project: The Beacon East Harlem MultiService Center
Award: $1,700,000
Company: The Community Builders Inc
REDC: New York City

Project: The HEArts Community Center
Award: $2,000,000
Company: Mott Haven - Port Morris Community Land Stewards
REDC: New York City

Project: The Tunnel
Award: $1,500,000
Company: BNT Property Holdings Inc
REDC: Mid-Hudson

Project: Ulster County Government Operations Center Geothermal
Award: $2,000,000
Company: Ulster County Planning
REDC: Mid-Hudson

Building Cleaner Communities Awarded Projects

Carbon Neutral Buildings

Project: The Bank Loft
Award: $972,806.00
Company: Dooalot, LLC
REDC: Mohawk Valley

Project: Scenic Hudson: Northside Hub
Award: $2,000,000.00
Company: Scenic Hudson, Inc.
REDC: Mid-Hudson

Project: City of Kingston Energy Efficiency Upgrades
Award: $1,815,000.00
Company: City of Kingston
REDC: Mid-Hudson

Project: Maplewood Nature Center
Award: $342,000.00
Company: City of Rochester
REDC: Finger Lakes

Project: North Bay Regeneration Project
Award: $1,639,206.00
Company: Kite's Nest
REDC: Capital District

Project: Historic Cohoes Music Hall
Award: $1,383,477.00
Company: City of Cohoes
REDC: Capital District

Project: Catskill Mountain Foundation Dance Studio
Award: $940,545.00
Company: Catskill Mountain Foundation Orpheum Performing Arts Center
REDC: Capital District

Project: Phinney Design Group - 504 Broadway - Troy
Award: $600,000.00
Company: Phinney Design Group
REDC: Capital District

Project: United Way of Long Island Net Zero
Award: $595,000.00
Company: United Way of Long Island
REDC: Long Island

Project: New Composting Bedding Pack Energy Net Zero Smart Dairy Barn
Award: $1,000,000.00
Company Wood B Ayr Farm
REDC: Central New York

Project:  City Winery of Hudson Valley
Award: $805,756.00
Company: City Winery of Hudson Valley
REDC: Mid Hudson

Project: Basilica Hudson NetZero Campus
Award: $950,139.00
Company: $1,357,342.00
REDC: Capital Region

Project: Salina 1st LLC Net Zero
Award: $1,000,000.00
Company: Salina 1st LLC
REDC: Central New York

Project: 139 Fifth Avenue Pelham
Award: $943,072.00
Company: Pelham RE Partners LLC
REDC: Mid Hudson

ProjectRome’s Water Resource Recovery Facility
Award: $1,000,000.00
Company: The City of Rome
REDC: Southern Tier

Project: VINES
Award: $400,000.00
Company: Volunteers Improving Neighborhood Environments Inc.
REDC: Southern Tier 

Project: Connected Autonomous Vehicle Enclosure (CAVE)
Award: $500,000.00
Company: University of Buffalo
REDC: Western New York 

Project: Sustainability Workforce Training Center
Award: $137,817.00
Company: People United for Sustainable Housing
REDC: Western New York

Project: 185 South Main Street Cold Storage
Award: $410,590.00
Company: Main Street Farms LLC
REDC: Central New York

Project: Catskill Gateway Carbon Neutral Project
Award: $1,914,059.00
Company: 335 Main Street LLC
REDC: Capital Region

Project: Rubin Hall Passive House Retrofit
Award: $2,000,000.00
Company: New York University
REDC: New York City

Project: 211 Main Street North Tonawanda
Award: $300,000.00
Company: Enterprise Lumber Silo LLC
REDC: Western New York

Project: Red Barn Hudson Carbon Neutral Project
Award: $601,234.00
Company: South Front Street Holdings LLC
REDC: Capital Region

Project: The Plant Powerhouse Carbon Neutral Project
Award: $2,000,000.00
Company: Mid Hudson
REDC: Adaptive Reuse 

Project: Frederic Church Center
Award: $1,868,776.00
Company: The Olana Partnership Inc
REDC: Capital Region 

Project: Eco-Maple Syrup Production Expansion
Award: $166,928.00
Company: Delaware County IDA
REDC: Finger Lakes

Project: Tower 3
Award: $2,000,000.00
Company: 1500 Waters Place Realty LLC
REDC: New York City

Project: Historic Cohoes City Hall Carbon Neutral Initiative
Award: $ 1,050,000.00
Company: City of Cohoes
REDC: Capital Region

Project: Bethel Town Hall Renovation and Modernization
Award: $ 149,186.00
Company: Town of Bethel
REDC: Mid Hudson

Project: Capital Project
Award: $600,000.00
Company: Storm King Art Center
REDC: Mid Hudson

Project: Highland Passive House
Award: $1,303,157.00
Company: RTH Realty Holdings LLC.
REDC: Mid Hudson

Project: Rensselaer Childcare Center
Award: $900,000.00
Company: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
REDC: Capital Region

Project: GarageWORKS Studio
Award: $1,983,156.00
Company: GarageWORKS Studios LLC
REDC: Mid-Hudson

Project: The Brook Farmhouse
Award: $750,510.00
Company: Mohonk Preserve, Inc.
REDC: Mid-Hudson

Project: The Kaz
Award: $1,526,168.00
Company: Montgomery Street Projects LLC
REDC: Capital Region

Project: Columbia University Irving Medical Center Research Building
Award: $2,000,000.00
Company: Columbia University Irving Medical Center
REDC: New York City

Project: Unity Hall Community Center
Award: $558,000.00
Company: Mohawk Valley Collective, Inc.
REDC: Mohawk Valley

Project: Underground Railroad Interpretive Center
Award: $1,107,457.00
Company: Underground Railroad History Project of the Capital Region Inc
REDC: Capital Region

Project: Siva Powers America Facility
Award: $519,000.00
Company: SIVA Powers America Inc
REDC: Western New York

Project: Cornwall Social
Award: $1,018,109.00
Company: Salisbury Mills Holdings LLC
REDC: Mid-Hudson

Project: GreenSpark Solar Green Workforce Training Center
Award: $2,000,000.00
Company: Sustainable Energy Developments dba GreenSpark Solar
REDC: Finger Lakes

Carbon Neutral Planning/Roadmaps

The program no longer provides incentives for carbon neutral planning/roadmaps.

Project: Planning for Decarbonization at Rochester Institute of Technology and Rochester Regional Health
Award: $2,000,000.00
Company: Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)
REDC: Finger Lakes

Project: Net Zero Energy Roadmap for UAlbany
Award: $2,000,000.00
Company: University at Albany
REDC: Capital Region

Project: NYU Net Zero Energy for Economic Development
Award: $2,000,000.00
Company: New York University
REDC: New York City

Project: Binghamton University Clean Energy Master Plan
Award: $5,000,000.00
Company: Binghamton University
REDC: Southern Tier