Get Funded by Borough President Reynoso

All nonprofit organizations seeking discretionary expense funding for projects must complete:

Types of Non-City Projects

Non-City projects generally fall into several categories. It is important to note that a specific project may fall into multiple categories, and thus necessitate multiple applications:

1. Real Property
   • Property acquisition
   • Construction of new buildings or reconstruction / renovation of existing buildings
2. Moveable Property
   • Purchase of equipment or furniture that is not attached or is minimally attached to real property
   • Procurement of vehicles
   • Initial outfitting of a newly occupied or recently renovated facility
3. Affordable Housing
   • Construction or improvements to housing facilities that utilize a housing loan program of New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD)
4. Cultural Projects
   • Projects implemented by organizations that receive funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA)

Qualifying Organizations

For an organization to be eligible for capital funding, that organization must – at a minimum – generally meet the following requirements.

Please note that this is not a comprehensive list of eligibility requirements. Interested applicants should refer to the NYC Capital Grants website.

1. The organization must be a nonprofit organized under New York State law or registered to do business in New York State.
2. The organization must have an operating history of at least three years and must be able to provide audited financial statements for the immediately preceding three fiscal years.
3. The organization must have paid full-time staff.
4. The organization must demonstrate an operating budget to support the proposed project on an ongoing basis.
5. The organization must have an established history of receiving operating funds from the City of New York.
   • In the event the organization is applying for capital funding for a Real Property project, the organization must have operating contracts with the City totaling $50,000 or more for the City’s current fiscal year, as well as the preceding two fiscal years.
   • In the event the organization is applying for capital funding for a Moveable Property project, the organization must have operating contracts with the City totaling $25,000 or more for the City’s current fiscal year.
6. Certain organizational eligibility requirements may be waived in certain instances if: the applicant organization is a hospital or health clinic; the applicant is an organization that receives operating funding from DCLA, or if the project is an otherwise qualified affordable housing project.

Qualifying Projects

For a project to be eligible for capital funding, that project must – at a minimum – generally meet the following requirements.

Please note that this is not a comprehensive list of eligibility requirements. Interested applicants should refer to the NYC Capital Grants website.

For all Non-City Projects:

1. The project must be for a capital asset under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and City rules.
   1. The project must be used for Front Line Services. Front Line Services are services that are rendered directly to the public through physical public access or through telephonic communication.

For Non-City Projects involving Moveable Property:

1. If the project includes items that are not attached to real property, each item or equipment system must have a minimum City contribution of at least $50,000, unless it is for Initial Outfitting of new space.
2. If the project includes items that have a minor degree of attachment to real property, each item or equipment system must have a minimum City contribution of at least $250,000.

For Non-City Projects involving Real Property:

1. The project must have a minimum capital contribution from the city of $500,000.
2. The City contribution may not exceed 90 percent of the portion of funding of a Real Property project up to $2 million and 50 percent of the portion of funding in excess thereof.
3. Of the remaining amount of funding needed to fully finance the project (the non-City contribution) the lesser of 50 percent or $1 millions of funds for the project must be in hand at the time of the application for City funding in the form of cash, pledged funds, or commitment letters from lenders willing to accept a subordinate position.
4. If the project involves improvements to existing property, the applicant organization must own the property that is to be improved.

Non-City Project Application Process

Before beginning the capital application process, applicant organizations are encouraged to contact capital staff at the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President to discuss their project proposal. Assuming that both the applicant organization and its proposed project are eligible, the following bullet points detail how organizations should proceed to apply for capital funding, and how the capital funding process works.

1. Organizations should begin the capital process by developing a project scope. Specifically, applicants need to know what it is they will be asking the Brooklyn Borough President to fund.
2. Once a project scope is determined, the organization must obtain detailed quotes or estimates related to their project.
3. After a project scope has been developed and estimates obtained, two separate applications must be submitted:
   1. An application must be submitted directly to the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President via the Brooklyn Borough President’s online capital funding application. This online funding application is generally available the first week of January. The application deadline typically falls during the third week of February.
   2. Additionally, an application must also be submitted via the CapGrants portal. Note that the application process is slightly different for organizations that receive capital funding from DCLA. This online funding application is generally available the first week of January. The application deadline typically falls during the last week of February.
4. Once both capital applications are submitted, capital staff may reach out to the applicant organization to clarify information or obtain additional information if needed. These requests will be submitted via the CapGrants portal.
5. If the capital application is satisfactory and complete, applicant organizations will not be contacted until funding decisions are released, following the adoption of the New York City budget at the end of June. Notifications are generally sent out to all applicants within a month of the City budget being passed.
6. Within 3 – 6 months after the passage of the New York City budget, the applicable managing agency will contact capital applicants to begin development of a contract, referred to as a Funding Agreement.
7. Once a Funding Agreement is created and approved by the respective managing agency staff, OMB must review and approve the Funding Agreement, and then issue a Certificate to Proceed.
8. Once a Certificate to Proceed has been issued and all necessary approval obtained, the Funding Agreement can be executed between the City and the recipient organization and sent to the City Comptroller for registration.
9. The typical lifespan of a capital project varies greatly, and can range from 12-36 months from the date of the appropriation of funds

It is extremely important to note that capital funding for Non-City Projects is made available on a reimbursement basis only. Any purchases made prior to such registration are made at the organization’s risk.

The City is under no obligation to reimburse an organization for purchases made prior to the registration of the Funding Agreement if such Funding Agreement is not ultimately registered or if such purchases do not comply with the terms of the Funding Agreement.

Watch: Office of BP Reynoso Hosts FY25 Capital Nonprofit Information Session, Dec. 14, 2023

Project Guidelines

1. All projects must meet a minimum cost requirement of $50,000.
2. Capital construction projects must provide a permanent enhancement to the facility.
3. All equipment must have a lifespan of three years.
4. Technology grants must be used to purchase networkable desktops, laptops, Smart Boards, and/or tablets that access the facilities’ local-area network (LAN) system, which is the computer network. iPads, Kindles, and other tablet computers are eligible for capital funding.
5. Examples of previously funded capital grant projects include:
   • Building science labs o Improving auditoriums and gymnasiums
   • Providing mobile science carts
   • Refurbishing playgrounds
   • Supplying technology equipment
   • Upgrading libraries
6. Examples of projects or items are NOT capitally eligible inclue:
   • After-school programs
   • Library books
   • Loose classroom furniture
   • Photocopiers
   • Software
   • Staffing
   • Subscriptions
   • Toner cartridges and other technology-based supplies
   • Window air conditioning units

Public School Application Process

1. Schools should begin the capital process by developing a project scope. Specifically, applicants need to know what it is they will be asking the Brooklyn Borough President to fund.
2. Once a project scope is determined, a school must determine how much funding it will need to complete the project. To obtain an accurate estimate, the school’s principal should contact the New York City School Construction Authority (SCA) for a general quote. To obtain such a quote, please contact one of the following SCA representatives:
   • Jonathan Seltzer – [email protected]
   • Bryan McGinn – [email protected]
3. After the school’s principal has obtained a general quote from the SCA, an application should be submitted to the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President via the online capital funding application. The online funding application is generally available the first week of January on our website (brooklynbp.nyc.gov). The application deadline typically falls during the third week of February.
4. Once a capital application is submitted, capital staff may reach out to the applicant to clarify information or obtain additional information if needed.
5. If the capital application is satisfactory and complete, schools will not be contacted until funding decisions are released following the passage of the New York City budget by the City Council at the end of June.
6. Notifications are generally sent out to all applicants within a month of the City budget being passed.
7. Within six months after the passage of the New York City budget, the SCA will reach out to all principals to begin project planning.

Watch: Office of BP Reynoso Hosts FY25 Capital Public Schools Information Session, Dec. 12, 2023

New York City Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget

• FAQ
• New York City Budget Cycle

New York City Capital Grants

• Guidelines
• Bullet Points to Guidelines
• CapGrants Instructions

New York City Independent Budget Office

• Understanding the Budget
• A Guide to the Capital Budget
• Demystifying School Budgets
• Budget Roadmap

New York City Department of Cultural Affairs

• Capital Funding

New York City Department of Design and Construction – Nonprofit Procurement

New York City Economic Development Corporation – Funding Agreements

NYC School Construction Authority