Three types of grants are available in the Clean Energy Communities Leadership Round, each requiring a separate agreement with NYSERDA. To access grant funds, local governments must submit a Clean Energy Communities grant application.

Designation Grants

Designation grants are available to communities that complete four high-impact actions. At least two of the high-impact actions must be completed after August 1, 2016. In the Leadership Round, communities that earn the Clean Energy Community designation and did not receive a previous designation grant are eligible to apply for a one-time $5,000 grant. This grant opportunity is also available retroactively to communities that earned the designation in the first round of the program but did not receive the grant prior to July 1, 2019. Retroactive payment does not apply to communities who did not receive the grant due to missing the application deadline.

Point-Based Grants

Each high-impact action is worth points that communities collect upon completion of the action. When NYSERDA approves an action, points are automatically assigned to the community’s scorecard. Once a community earns a certain number of points, it becomes eligible for larger grant amounts. The number of available grants is identified by community size and are expected to remain available until all grants have been awarded.

Action Grants

Action Grants are available for two of the high-impact actions: NYStretch Energy Code and Community Campaigns. Once a community completes the stated requirements, NYSERDA will send an email to the community contact with details and instructions on how to proceed.

Any points-based or action grant award in the amount of $20,000 or greater may be eligible for $10,000 bonus funding for a clean energy project. To access a bonus, the grant project needs to be located a New York State Disadvantaged Community in the applying jurisdiction. A project location lookup tool is available here and eligibility is subject to NYSERDA verification.