Congresswoman Elise Stefanik with what her office described as “a bipartisan group of their colleagues,” has introduced a bill to make the Northern Border Regional Commission (NRBC) grant program more accessible.

The bill will allow for the NRBC to temporarily contribute 100% of the cost of projects who are awarded funding. Traditionally, NBRC grant recipients must come up with 20% of the total cost of a project from some other funding source, while NBRC finances the other 80%.

This bill temporarily waives the 20% matching requirement in order to encourage participation and ease the burden on recent grantees.

The NRBC supports economic development and community projects across the Northern Border. All counties in New York’s 21st Congressional District are eligible for NBRC funding.

“The Northern Border Regional Commission grants and projects have made a significant impact in our communities located along the Canadian border,” said Congresswoman Stefanik. “I have seen the success of many of these projects firsthand, and this bill is an important step in increasing access to the program in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. This legislation aims to encourage participation and allow for the development of several important projects for our North Country communities. Despite these challenging times, I will continue to advocate for the NBRC and the positive impact it has on our district.”

Help keep St. Lawrence County informed

Until now, advertising has provided the income to pay our news staff. But with a cutback in advertising due to the COVID-19 crisis, our ability to continue free news coverage is threatened.  Please donate to NorthCountryNow.com and North Country This Week so we can keep St. Lawrence County informed.  Thank you.