New York has established a $5 million grant program to support startup costs for adult-use cannabis social equity retail licensees in the state.
The grants, implemented by the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) and Empire State Development, will fund $10,000 to $30,000 of initial costs for Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) licenses, which are reserved for “justice-involved” individuals and nonprofits that meet certain criteria.
To apply, CAURD license holders must submit:
- Photo ID.
- CAURD license number and issuance date.
- OCM licensure notice.
- Eligible receipts.
- W-9 form.
Grants will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
CAURD holders have faced numerous challenges amid New York’s rocky adult-use rollout, including licensing issuance and processing delays, litigation, capital shortages, securing real estate and local government opt-outs.
Adult-use cannabis legalization and retail in New York was signed into law in March 2021, but the state’s first legal adult-use retailer didn’t open until December 2022.
