Ocasio-Cortez Secures $14.2 Million in FY26 Federal Community Project Funding for 15 Projects in The Bronx and Queens

THE BRONX, N.Y. - Today, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) announced that she secured $14 million in federal funding for 15 community projects that would serve New York’s 14th Congressional District through H.R. 6938 and H.R. 7148. 

This federal funding will directly invest in reentry services and workforce development, sexual violence intervention services, youth violence interruption programs, literacy education programming, and environmental cleanup efforts in New York’s 14th Congressional District.

“I am proud to have secured $14.2 million in federal funding for projects that will better the lives of working people in The Bronx and Queens. This funding includes direct and urgent infrastructure investments for NYC’s largest foodbank in Hunts Point, violence interruption programs in the South Bronx and Queens, sexual assault and violence intervention services for survivors across the district, including along Roosevelt Avenue, and the cleanup of derelict vessels in Westchester Creek,” said Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. “Thank you to all our local government and community partners for your dedication to our community.”

View the full list of projects here.

The fifteen selected projects are outlined below: 

1. NYC Department of Small Business Services - Food Bank Warehouse Upgrades - $2,998,000

NYC Department of Small Business Services is eligible to receive $2,998,000 to address safety issues in the warehouse, which serves as a food bank, by resurfacing the 90,000 square foot concrete floor and installing a 5,000 CFM Energy Recovery Ventilation (ERV) unit to address dust, fresh air, and humidity control concerns, and updating egress doors with necessary life safety hardware, closers, and panic bars.

2. NYC Department of Education - School Food Forest at Adlai Stevenson High School - $850,000

NYC Department of Education is eligible to receive $850,000 to build a school food forest at Adlai Stevenson High School that would provide green infrastructure to produce food, mitigate flooding, and serve as a living educational hub. Federal funding would support city-based agriculture, increasing access to local food and fostering economic development, while mitigating soil pollution and flooding.

3. NYS Metropolitan Transportation Authority - Broadway Station ADA Upgrades - $2,000,000

New York State Metropolitan Transportation Authority (NYSMTA) is eligible to receive $2,000,000 to make the station ADA-accessible by installing elevators and other accessibility elements. Station work also includes modification of platforms, mezzanine areas, and stairs to provide accessible paths of travel to both platforms.

4. NYC Department of Education - Literacy Hub at C.S. 150 - $720,000

The New York City Department of Education is eligible to receive $720,000 to revitalize an underutilized library space, transforming it into a vibrant literacy hub that catalyzes academic achievement and community engagement.

5. NYC Department of Transportation - Southern Boulevard Bus Stops Under the El - $1,000,000

The New York City Department of Transportation is eligible to receive $1,000,000 to construct bus bulbs, pedestrian safety improvements, and accessibility upgrades at six intersections on Southern Boulevard under the elevated 2/5 between 167th and 174th Streets. Bus stops located beneath elevated subway structures present a unique set of design challenges. Because subway columns at many locations prevent buses from reaching the curb, riders are forced to wait for the bus on the street, resulting in inaccessible and unsafe boarding conditions.

6. NYC Department of Small Business Services - East 132nd Street Pier Project - $1,031,000

NYC Department of Small Business Services is eligible to receive $1,031,000 to build coastal resilience and restore waterfront access to an economically distressed community in a federally recognized Opportunity Zone in the South Bronx by using nature-based strategies. The project will create oyster reefs and stabilize and restore the shoreline to allow for construction of a pier. These activities will strengthen resilience against flooding and heat hazards, create a safer, cleaner community, and ultimately expand access to public green space.

7. Thrive For Life Prison Project, Inc. - Bronx First Chance for Reentry Success - $1,000,000

Thrive For Life, Inc., is eligible to receive $1,000,000 for expansion of vocational education and workforce training program at Abraham House in the South Bronx, designed to reduce recidivism by equipping justice-impacted individuals with in-demand, job-ready skills and certifications. The program offers a broad range of credential-bearing courses, including OSHA, GED, ESL, Financial Literacy, Nutrition, Parenting, Scaffolding, Flagging, HVAC, and Electrical Training, delivered through a trauma-informed and workforce-aligned model.

8. New York City Department of Parks and Recreation - Marine Debris Removal in The Bronx and College Point - $1,031,000

NYC Parks is eligible to receive $1,031,000 to address the presence of large debris and abandoned and derelict vessels in Westchester Creek in the Bronx and around College Point in Queens. The debris to be removed include large man-made materials such as treated lumber and wreckage of floating docks, large foam blocks, and an abandoned vehicle. Abandoned and derelict vessels to be removed vary from 20 to 45 feet in length. This project aims to remove 2,891 cubic yards of debris and 11 abandoned and derelict vessels from Westchester Creek and College Point.

9. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai - Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention Program (SAVI) - $500,000

The SAVI Program is eligible to receive $500,000 to address gaps in services to victims of sexual and intimate partner violence in NY-14 by enhancing the Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner Program in Queens; replicating their Advocate Program in Emergency Departments in the South Bronx; and increasing their professional training and community outreach efforts. 

10. City Island Oyster Reef, Inc. - Oyster Reef Capacitation - $403,000

    City Island Oyster Reef (CIOR) is eligible to receive $403,000 to reestablish a resilient ecosystem in western Long Island Sound by creating two oyster reef habitats and thereby increasing oyster populations in the waters surrounding City Island in the Bronx. City Island's location for these oyster reefs makes it a critical hub and essential connection between reef restoration sites to the west in the East River, at Soundview, and SUNY Maritime College, as well as to existing oyster populations in Long Island Sound east of City Island. 
     

11. NY Sun Works, Inc. - STEM through Hydroponic Farming Program - $525,000
     

    New York Sun Works is eligible to receive $525,000 through to support their STEM through Hydroponic Farming program in 25 NY-14 public schools (including 20 current partner schools and expansion to 5 new schools), enabling them to reach approximately 7,500 K-12 students with hands-on, high-quality STEM education and train 25 teachers to support long-term program sustainability. The funding will also support development of curriculum modules exploring the connection between in-school STEM and NASA research and projects.
     

12. Bronx River Alliance - Soundview Coastal Resiliency and Community Development - $750,000

    Bronx River Alliance is eligible to receive $750,000 for the Soundview Coastal Resiliency and Community Development project to coordinate for maximum impact the leading groups working on coastal resiliency in Soundview. The project will involve gathering information on all current and recent projects with the goal of compiling and sharing lessons learned. The various initiatives that will be studied will benefit from increased community engagement efforts with an emphasis on youth involvement. This gathering of information and coordination of community engagement for various initiatives will result in enhanced stewardship and restoration efforts led by the Bronx River Alliance that are implemented in strategic and targeted ways. The funding would be used to coordinate community and youth engagement on activities including siting, design, implementation, maintenance and monitoring of coastal adaptation projects underway in the Soundview community.
     

13. Queens Borough Public Library - Design Your Habitat - $253,000

    Design Your Habitat is eligible to receive $253,000 to engage up to 200 teenagers in Queens in learning about space habitat design, life support systems, and living and working in space including the International Space Station (ISS) and other future Low Earth Orbit (LEO) stations. This project blends space science with artistic creativity and storytelling through the design of new habitats and space stations, across 7 libraries serving New York's 14th Congressional District.
     

14. Elmcor Youth & Adult Activities, Inc. - B.R.A.V.E. - Response to Recent Youth Violence in Queens - $100,000

Elmcor is is eligible to receive $100,000 to support its violence prevention program, B.R.A.V.E (Building Resilience and Alternative to Violence Everyday), that addresses youth violence through strategic violence-interruption plans designed to authentically engage vulnerable populations previously involved in or impacted by violent activity. This initiative offers youth positive alternatives through a comprehensive drug-prevention curriculum, counseling, youth-relevant workshops and resources for participants and their families in response to increasing youth violence in Queens. This model helps at-risk youth develop authentic relationships in the community by having assigned mentors and a progress checklist of activities to be followed that develop healthy and sustainable habits.

15. New York City Department of Sanitation - Bronx Wetland Mitigation - $1,031,000

The New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) is eligible to receive $1,031,000 in funding to help rehabilitate a wetland area adjacent to its fueling operations for the Bronx 9/10/11 garage. After an initial review with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, DSNY has planned two phases of wetland mitigation. Phase 1 is wetland habitat reconstruction to offset the wetland disturbance to be caused by the nearby garage activities, including bulkhead wall construction, and construction of a South Lot structure partially over the wetland boundary. The main lot is to be constructed with parking and site fill (due to flood plain) up to the bulkhead line. Phase 2 wetlands mitigation will demolish all structures on the South Lot (except for the existing DSNY fueling station), demolish and excavate all concrete pads, footings, and paving, and then tilling at least 8 inches deep and seeding the area to make a wetland adjacent meadow.