Welcome to Oriskany
In 2021, the Village of Oriskany began applying for a number of grant opportunities to encourage economic growth and community improvements, including the New York State Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI).
For 2025, the Village Board of Trustees moved to apply for both in the village and hamlets category, known as New York Forward, which will award $4.5 million to two communities in the Mohawk Valley Economic Development Region, as well as the $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative which will be awarded to one community in our region.
What is New York Forward?
In their own words, New York State describes the program as follows:
"NYF supports a more equitable downtown recovery for New York’s smaller and rural communities, with a focus on hamlets, villages, and neighborhood-scale municipal centers. Through the NYF program, these smaller downtowns will attract more businesses, residents, and visitors, while also providing a higher quality of life for residents."
We Want to Hear From You
The New York Forward and Downtown Revitalization Initiative process relies on robust community involvement to make sure the application, and ultimately the downtown transformation, is exactly what the village needs to thrive.
Tell us your ideas! No contribution is too big or too small.
If you live, work, own property, or attend school in Oriskany, we want to hear from you.
Public Meetings
The following public meetings and hearings have been scheduled to discuss this opportunity. Please join us:
Public Hearing
Tuesday, October 28, 2025 at 6:30 pm at the Oriskany Museum
420 Utica Street, Oriskany, NY 13424
If your business or community organization is interested in submitting an idea for a standalone project (typically defined as an eligible project over $75,000), please email grants@oriskany.org to schedule a meeting, phone call, or teleconference to discuss your plans.
Project ideas can include new development and/or rehabilitation of existing downtown buildings, facade improvements, mixed-use spaces, and more. Please review the NYF application booklet for more details.
