Buffalo Is Getting $20 Million & Wants Your Help On How To Spend It

Every year, municipalities across the country receive large sums of money from the federal government to help combat poverty and support public works projects in neighborhoods. The City of Buffalo, like most other communities in New York State, is due to receive millions in federal funds that are supposed to be used to help improve the lives of citizens. With that in mind, city officials are asking for your help in determining exactly how that money should be spent.

On Tuesday, March 31, 2026, officials from various departments of the City of Buffalo and the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency (BURA) held a public meeting to seek input from the community. At that meeting, which was hosted at the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, they detailed the total amount of federal funds that are being allocated to the City of Buffalo for the 2026-27 fiscal year that starts on October 1, 2026.

The City of Buffalo is due to receive nearly $20 million from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, which will be allocated across several grant programs.

• $13,103,636 - Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program,
• $3,092,954 - HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) program,
• $1,002,723 - Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program,
• $1,160,317 - Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program.

Each year, the City of Buffalo receives funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for housing and community development activities to address priority needs locally identified by the City.
-City of Buffalo Office of Strategic Planning

City officials know that sometimes people aren't able to make these public hearings, so they have set up a website for people to be able to review the spending plan and give their ideas and comments. If you are interested in finding out more about the funds that are coming in, and if you want to submit comments, you can do so right here on the City of Buffalo's website.

But don't wait to let the government know how it should spend your money. The comment period only goes until April 30, 2026.