The Albany County Legislature is now accepting applications for four of its 2026 Improvement Initiative Grant Opportunities.

A total pool of $550,000 is available to support non-profit organizations, individuals, school districts, and/or municipalities working in:

• Anti-bullying education;
• Improving parks and playgrounds;
• Tobacco use prevention;
• Women’s health initiatives.

Applications must be submitted by email sent to Grants.Legislature@AlbanyCountyNY.gov.

The deadline to apply is March 2, 2026.

All application details and a video information session are available at AlbanyCountyNY.gov/legislature/iigrants

With the overwhelming success of, and interest in, the Legislature’s grant programming over the last two years – over $2 million has been reinvested throughout Albany County – all 2026 grant funding will be released through a reimbursement model to ensure the continued success of the program. There will be two reimbursement periods for awardees with the first in early July (awardees must use at least 35% of their award by then) and the second in mid-September.

Applicants are encouraged to collaborate with other eligible organizations to apply collectively for grant funding. All members of a collective application must comply with all eligibility and application criteria.

Albany County Legislature Chairwoman Joanne Cunningham said: “We are thrilled by all of the engagement that these programs have generated over the past few years. With that success, we have found areas where we can improve our practices and expand our impact. Our goal is to put resources in place to support the vital work that our community partners do and remain responsible stewards of public funding at the same time. I highly encourage anyone interested in partnering with us to participate in this workshop to make sure they know all of the details of how our programs are evolving.”

Albany County Legislature Deputy Chairwoman Wanda Willingham said: “We are so thankful there has been so much interest in all of our grant programming. We have been inspired and impressed by the collaboration and ingenuity of so many projects. To ensure that everyone, from every corner of Albany County, can continue to participate in our programs and have equitable access to this support, we must have sound policies and procedures in place. This is an opportunity for organizations to understand our expectations and apply that knowledge to their applications thoughtfully, carefully, and thoroughly.”