POWER UP Grant Program

POWER UP, short for Promote Opportunity with Electric Readiness for Underdeveloped Properties, is Empire State Development's capital grant program for electric infrastructure readiness. It is designed to make sites power-ready and shovel-ready across New York State, using public dollars to move projects into a development position rather than to fund operating businesses. The program sits inside ESD's broader site development toolkit. The route is rolling and carries an FY2025-2026 appropriation of $100 million, with a total program ceiling of up to $300 million. Eligible applicants include site developers, utility authorities, industrial development agencies, and municipalities. The record frames it as a grant for proactive electric capacity work, not as a general innovation award. The best fit is a site that already has a credible development plan but needs utility or electrical upgrades before a tenant or project can move. That makes the program especially useful for infrastructure-heavy real estate, industrial land, and public development sites. Applicants win by showing that the readiness work will unlock a concrete development outcome.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.