Long Island to vie for millions of dollars in New York State aid for job-growth projects
Allegiant Health in Deer Park, seen in 2020, was among six Long Island companies that won awards in last year's Regional Economic Development Councils' contest. Credit: James Carbone
Long Island will compete with New York’s nine other regions for tens of millions of dollars from the state for one large initiative that creates hundreds of jobs and attracts significant private investment.
The Island could win between $30 million and $50 million for its proposal or up to $75 million for a proposal that involves working with another region, officials said Wednesday.
The ACHIEVE competition was established in the 2025-26 state budget that was adopted earlier this month and consists of $150 million in funding. The ACHIEVE acronym stands for Advancing Collaboration for High-impact Initiatives for Economic Visions & Expansion.
The ACHIEVE initiative is the latest addition to the 15-year-old Regional Economic Development Councils' process, where about $500 million is distributed annually from multiple state agencies.
The Long Island council, which is made up of business executives, union leaders, university presidents and nonprofit officials, was briefed on ACHIEVE during a meeting at New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury.
“This is significant funding for transformative, high-impact regional projects,” said Cara Longworth, the council’s executive director and regional director for Empire State Development, the state’s primary business aid agency.
She said the 22-member council has until the end of June to identify an Islandwide initiative or projects based in one community to put forward for funding. The completed proposal, including implementation steps, private funding and partners, is due in November.
“The initiative should bring the region together and have a big impact” on job creation and private investment, Longworth said.
She and others pointed to the council’s 2023 report, which identified challenges facing Nassau and Suffolk counties. They are the housing shortage, coordination of economic development efforts, downtown revitalization, the creation of technology startup businesses, workers’ skills, support for local food producers and access to affordable child care.
“We need to identify something that transcends politics and borders; something that everyone cares about,” said Linda Armyn, council co-chair and CEO of FourLeaf Federal Credit Union, formerly Bethpage Federal Credit Union.
Among the topics mentioned in a brainstorming session were infrastructure, energy, transportation and waste management. Suggestions for an initiative or project may be sent to LIREDC@esd.ny.gov.
Besides the ACHIEVE initiative, the local council is accepting funding applications for this year’s REDC competition. An information session will be held on June 5 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Farmingdale State College’s Campus Center.
In last year’s contest, 61 projects in Nassau and Suffolk received $27 million, according to a March report.
The largest award — $5 million — went to Suffolk County for the purchase of 110 acres in Brookhaven Town to protect groundwater. An additional $8.2 million went to groundwater protection and other environmental projects in Halesite, Hampton Bays, Long Beach, Patchogue, Shelter Island in Smithtown.
Six companies shared $1.8 million for new buildings and equipment, including Sensaras LLC. The Bohemia-based manufacturer of sensors used in submarines and semiconductors won $500,000 in state tax credits to move to a larger building and add 20 jobs to its payroll over the next five years.