Regional council hosts state funding workshops

The Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council will hold workshops this month on the state”™s consolidated funding application (CFA) for businesses, municipalities and nonprofit organizations.

Empire State Development, the state agency administering New York”™s 10 regional councils, on May 1 opened the fourth round of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo”™s initiative to stimulate job creation and economic growth through regional strategic planning and competition for state funds for which the CFA serves as the single entry point for applicants. State officials said up to $750 million in economic development funding is available this year from 33 state agency programs.

Consolidated funding applications will be accepted until 4 p.m. June 16. The CFA is available at https://apps.cio.ny.gov/apps/cfa/.

The mid-Hudson council will hold a workshop Monday at Manhattanville College in Purchase.  The session will run from 6 to 9 p.m. in the East Room of Benzinger Hall.

The workshop also will be offered May 20 at SUNY New Paltz. The session will run from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Student Union multipurpose room.

The workshops will include an overview of the application process followed by informational breakout sessions on specific areas of funding available for economic development projects.

Potential applicants are asked to register for the workshops at regionalcouncils.ny.gov/content/mid-hudson.

Applications will be reviewed by the 21-member regional council based on their alignment with the council”™s strategic plan and will be reviewed on a technical basis by a state agency resource team in Albany.

The state”™s CFA Resource Manual, which outlines the funds available, and the 2014 REDC Guidebook, which provides the competitive guidelines for this year, are both available at regionalcouncils.ny.gov.

State officials said New York invested more than $2 billion in approximately 2,200 projects funded in the first three rounds of the regionally allocated funding. Those projects to date have created or retained more than 100,000 jobs statewide, according to Empire State Development.