Community Reinvestment Program Applicants

The Community Reinvestment Program will issue annual funding opportunities through competitive procurements focused on various allowable activities.

By law, the Community Reinvestment Program may be designed to fund such initiatives as job placement, job skills services, adult education, mental health treatment, substance use disorder treatment, housing, financial literacy, community banking, nutrition services, services to address adverse childhood experiences, afterschool and child care services, system navigation services, legal services to address barriers to reentry, including, but not limited to, providing representation and related assistance with expungement, vacatur, substitution and resentencing of marihuana- related convictions, and linkages to medical care, women's health services and other community-based supportive services.

According to the guidance of the Cannabis Advisory Board, the program may choose to focus on different areas in the future. The grants from this program may also be used to further support the social and economic equity program created by article four of the cannabis law and as established by the Cannabis Control Board.

VIEW PROGRAM OVERVIEW

How Do Applicants Get Registered?

This RFA will be conducted online in the OCM eGrants system. Not-for-profits must complete the following steps to apply:

• The Head of Organization for the applicant must register on its behalf. The Head of Organization is an individual that serves in a leadership role and will ultimately be responsible for managing the organization’s OCM eGrants system profile and user pool.  
   
• To begin the registration process, the Head of Organization should click on the Head of Organization? Register Here! link on the OCM eGrants system login screen, complete the online registration form, and click the Register button to submit their request. 
   
• The Head of Organization will be asked to provide their organization’s NYS Statewide Financial System (SFS) Supplier ID. If your organization does not have an SFS Supplier ID, assistance in obtaining one will be provided through the OCM eGrants system registration process. Please submit your registration form with the SFS Supplier ID field blank. A member of the ITS Grants Management team will contact you regarding next steps.

Training on the OCM eGrants system registration process is available in the Resources section found here.

All OCM eGrants system registration questions should be directed to ITS Grants Management at [email protected]. Please include “OCM eGrants Registration” in the subject line.

Grants Management reserves 3 to 5 days to process registration requests and additional time may be required to obtain an SFS Supplier ID is necessary. Please plan accordingly.  

On completion of the registration process, the Head of Organization will receive an email detailing critical next steps. These steps are summarized below and can be completed concurrently. However, BOTH steps must be complete by the Application Due Date set forth in the chart on page 2 of the RFA - Key Events.  

How Do Applicants Get Prequalified? 

Not-for-profit Applicants must be prequalified in SFS on the date and time applications are due in response to the RFA as specified on page 2 – Key Events. Applications received from not-for-profits that do not meet the above requirement will not be considered for funding.  

Note: As part of the prequalification process, applicants will be asked to choose a State Agency. A Prequalification Specialist from the chosen Agency will evaluate the prequalification application. The Office of Cannabis Management is not one of the Agency choices; please choose the Agency that most closely aligns with your mission.

A wide range of resources are available on the Grants Management website’s Prequalification page to facilitate the prequalification process. Nonprofit applicants are encouraged to review the NYS Prequalification Manual. This document includes the questions and required forms that make up the prequalification application and is often used by not-for-profits to prepare in anticipation of receiving access to the system. The SFS Grantee User Manual and virtual Entering and Submitting Prequalification Applications training are also helpful.  

New York State reserves 5-10 business days from the receipt of complete Prequalification applications to conduct its review. If supplementary information or updates are required, review times will be longer. Due to the length of time this process could take to complete, it is advised that not-for-profits prequalify as soon as possible. Failure to successfully complete the prequalification process may result in a grant application being disqualified.  

Questions regarding Prequalification should be sent to the SFS Helpdesk at [email protected] or call 518-457-7717.  

How Do Applicants Apply for the Community Reinvestment Program Grant? 

Not-for-profits must initiate, complete, and submit responses to the RFA in the OCM eGrants system by the due date and time indicated on page 2 – Key Events. Applications received offline (paper or email) or after the due date and time will not be considered. 

Initiate an Application

• To initiate an application, login to the OCM eGrants system. 
   
• In the My Opportunities section of the Dashboard, click on the Community Reinvestment Program Grants link to initiate an application.
   
• Note that once you have initiated an application, it will be viewable in the My Tasks section of the Dashboard. Do not click on the My Opportunities link again unless attempting to create additional applications. 

Completing an Application

• Completing an application involves filling out a series of online forms to document your proposed project. Use the navigation bar on the left side of the screen move between forms. Make sure to save each form along the way.
     
• To submit your application, click the Submit button under Status Options at the bottom of the navigation bar. You will receive email confirmation that your application was received.   

Training on the OCM eGrants system registration process is available in the Resources section found here.

Not-for-profits are strongly encouraged to submit their application at least 48 hours prior to the Application due date and time as specified on page 2 of the RFA – Key Events. This will allow sufficient opportunity for the Applicant to obtain assistance and take corrective action should there be a technical issue with the submission process. Failure to leave adequate time to address issues identified during this process may jeopardize an Applicant’s ability to submit their application.  

Questions about applying?

Questions regarding initiating, completing, and submitting applications should be directed to [email protected]. Please include “OCM eGrants Application” in the subject. 

Questions or clarifications regarding the RFA?

In compliance with the Procurement Lobbying Law, Matt Courcelle, Contract Management Specialist II, NYS Office of General Services, Division of Financial Administration has been designated as the Primary Contact for this procurement and may be reached by email or voice for all inquiries regarding this grant opportunity.

Email: [email protected] 

Phone: 518-474-6921  

How will applicants be selected for awards?

Applications will be submitted to OCM’s eGrants system and scored by a panel of qualified reviewers. Application questions cover information about the applicant’s organization, the community they plan to serve, the activities they’re proposing, and a budget. Organizations will be selected based on scoring of all application materials, assessing their ability to implement a successful project aligned with the goals of the Community Reinvestment Program.

To ensure limited resources are available to areas of the State where funding can have the most impact, the 2024 grant cycle aims to prioritize funding to counties identified as high-need for youth-oriented services and as historically under-resourced and overpoliced. Additionally, OCM and the Cannabis Advisory Board intend to make at least one award within each Empire State Development (ESD) Region to ensure geographic distribution of awards across the State.

How much time will my organization have to spend down the grant funds?

If awarded, organizations will enter a two-year contract with OCM, allowing the opportunity for a one-time advance payment, with the remaining funds distributed via quarterly reimbursement-based vouchering.