Community Reinvestment Program

The Community Reinvestment Grant Fund (CGRF), administered by New York State’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) in collaboration with the Cannabis Advisory Board (CAB), is a state-led initiative aimed at addressing the negative impacts of prior federal and state drug policies. It reinvests tax revenues generated from legal adult-use cannabis sales into communities that were disproportionately impacted by historic drug law enforcement. Established under the New York State Cannabis Law (§ 99-ii), this program allocates 40% of adult-use cannabis tax revenue into the Cannabis Revenue Fund for redistribution in the form of community grants. In its upcoming second round, the Community Reinvestment Program will offer $5 million in grant funding. The focus of these grants is on youth-serving programs that support mental health, harm reduction and substance use disorder services, workforce development, and housing. These programs must directly benefit individuals aged 0–24 years living in communities adversely affected by prior drug laws. The initiative emphasizes accessibility, offering award tiers between $25,000 and $100,000 depending on the size and capacity of the applying nonprofit organizations. Eligibility for this program is limited to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations operating within New York State, with a minimum of $50,000 in operating expenditures. Importantly, participation is not restricted to cannabis-related entities, and applicants are not required to be connected to cannabis businesses. The program explicitly supports general community development and public service initiatives beyond cannabis-specific programming. A key requirement for eligibility is prequalification within New York’s Statewide Financial System (SFS), a process that can take 5–10 business days for registration and an additional 5–10 days for prequalification review. The application process is fully digital and managed through OCM’s eGrants system. While applications for Round 2 are not yet open, they are anticipated to launch in early 2026. Interested applicants are encouraged to sign up for email notifications through the OCM website to be alerted when the official Request for Applications (RFA) is published. Prequalification in SFS must be current and completed prior to application submission, or the applicant will be deemed ineligible for funding consideration. OCM and CAB are committed to ensuring that funding is distributed to under-resourced and historically underserved areas throughout New York State. The program's scope may evolve based on CAB guidance, allowing for responsiveness to changing community needs. Evaluation criteria and submission instructions will be included in the forthcoming RFA, which will also detail eligibility distinctions based on organizational size. While no formal review rubric has been published, the emphasis on youth-serving programming suggests a focus on impact, capacity, and alignment with program goals. Applicants needing assistance with SFS registration or prequalification are directed to several online resources, including a Grantee handbook available through the SFS Coach tile once logged into the portal. Technical assistance is available through the SFS Help Desk by phone or email. As this program is recurring, organizations are advised to begin preparations well in advance to maximize competitiveness for the anticipated 2026 cycle.