Home Improvement Grants in Buffalo.

Find grants, rebates, forgivable loans, and free programs for Buffalo, NY, filtered to your situation.

As of June 2026, 53 home improvement grant, rebate, and forgivable loan programs are open to homeowners in Buffalo, NY, with individual awards up to $126,526. 12 programs target seniors, 7 serve veterans, and 23 require no income limit.

Data last verified 2026-04-01. How we verify our data.

Types of help in this city

Funding typeProgramsRepaid?Best for
Grants35Never repaidIncome-qualified homeowners
Forgivable loans4Forgiven after a residency periodLarger repairs with no money down
Rebates6Refunded to you after purchaseEnergy-efficiency upgrades

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Showing 56 programs
Conditional grants & no-interest loans

HOCN CDBG Housing Repair Program

Heart of the City Neighborhoods administers City of Buffalo CDBG funds for home repair. Covers roofing, siding, porches,...

Home Repair
Full or partial conditional grants + 0% loans

BURA Target Streets Rehab Program

BURA designates specific streets in Fruit Belt and West Side neighborhoods. Homeowners receive full or partial condition...

Home Repair
Conditional grants, limited funding

HOCN West Side Home Repair Program

Conditional grants for owner-occupied homes in ZIP codes 14201 and 14213 (Buffalo’s Lower and Upper West Side). Covers r...

Home Repair
Emergency grants, amounts vary

HOCN Emergency Home Repair

Emergency assistance for urgent health and safety threats: furnace failure, roof collapse, burst pipes, electrical hazar...

Home Repair
Up to $20,000

HOCN RESTORE Program (Seniors)

NYS RESTORE program administered locally by HOCN. For homeowners age 60+ with emergency repairs or code violations that ...

Seniors & Disability
Grants for accessibility modifications

HOCN Access to Home (Disability Mods)

NYS Access to Home grants for wheelchair ramps, lifts, roll-in showers, doorway widening, grab bars, non-skid floors, st...

Seniors & Disability
Grants and deferred loans from federal CDBG funds

Buffalo CDBG Housing Rehabilitation ($18.4M)

Buffalo is a HUD CDBG entitlement city receiving $18.4M in federal funds for housing repair and renovation. Programs adm...

Home Repair
Forgivable loans and grants

Belmont Housing Resources Home Repair

Erie County’s HUD-certified housing counseling agency. Administers CDBG home repair funds for suburban Erie County homeo...

Home Repair
Deferred loans and grants

Erie County CDBG Home Rehabilitation

Erie County administers its own CDBG housing rehabilitation program for owner-occupied homes in eligible suburban munici...

Home Repair
Free energy upgrades

PUSH Buffalo Community Weatherization

PUSH Buffalo’s Sustainability Workforce Training Center (300 Hampshire St) trains community members and performs weather...

Home Repair
Free critical repairs

Habitat Buffalo Critical Home Repair

Habitat for Humanity Buffalo provides no-cost critical repairs for income-qualified homeowners in Erie County. Roof, plu...

Home Repair
Free repairs (volunteer + donated materials)

Rebuilding Together Buffalo

Free volunteer-driven home repairs for low-income homeowners in Erie County. Priority for veterans, seniors, and people ...

Home Repair
Free (avg. $5,000-$10,000 value)

NYS Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP)

Free insulation, air sealing, heating system repair or replacement, window improvements, and health/safety issue remedia...

Energy
100% free energy upgrades

EmPower+ (EmPower New York), Free

NYSERDA’s EmPower+ program provides 100% free energy upgrades for income-eligible New York households. Delivered through...

Home Repair
Rebates on heating, cooling, insulation, appliances

National Grid Energy Efficiency Rebates

National Grid offers rebates for upstate NY customers on heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, central AC, smart thermost...

Energy
Free program for income-eligible; rebates for all

National Fuel Gas Rebates & EmPower+

National Fuel is the primary gas utility in Buffalo. Offers rebates on high-efficiency furnaces, boilers, water heaters,...

Energy
Up to $14,000 (HEAR) + $8,000 HOMES

NY HOMES & HEAR IRA Rebates

Federal IRA-funded rebates administered by New York State. HOMES rebates: up to $8,000 for whole-home efficiency upgrade...

Energy
Up to $20,000

NYS HCR RESTORE Program (Statewide)

Statewide NYS RESTORE program for homeowners age 60+ facing emergency repairs or code violations that threaten health an...

Seniors & Disability
Grants for accessibility modifications

NYS HCR Access to Home Program

Statewide NYS program providing financial assistance to make homes accessible for people with disabilities. Ramps, lifts...

Seniors & Disability
Pilot grants for critical repairs

NYS T-HIP Targeted Home Improvement

NYS Targeted Home Improvement Program, a pilot grant for critical repairs in low-income areas with historic racial wealt...

Home Repair
Reduces school tax bill

NY STAR Property Tax Exemption (Basic)

Basic STAR reduces school district taxes for owner-occupied primary residences with income under $500,000. Based on firs...

Property Tax Relief
Larger school/city tax reduction

NY Enhanced STAR (Seniors)

Enhanced STAR for homeowners age 65+ with income at or below $107,300 (2025-2026 school year). Based on first $86,100 of...

Seniors & Disability
Up to 50% reduction in assessed value

NY Senior Citizen Property Tax Exemption

Erie County and City of Buffalo may grant up to 50% reduction in assessed property value for qualifying seniors. Age 65+...

Seniors & Disability
Partial reduction in assessed value

NY Alternative Veterans Property Tax Exemption

Three exemption options for qualifying veterans: Alternative Veterans Exemption (wartime service), Cold War Veterans Exe...

Veterans
Up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA), FY2026

VA Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Grant

For veterans with a permanent total service-connected disability affecting mobility (limb loss, blindness, severe burns)...

Veterans
Up to $25,350 (SHA), FY2026

VA Special Home Adaptation (SHA) Grant

For veterans with loss of use of both hands, severe burns, or respiratory injuries from service. Adapts a family member’...

Veterans
Up to $6,800 (service-connected) or $2,000 (non-service-connected)

VA HISA Grant (Home Improvements & Structural Alterations)

Most accessible VA grant, any service-connected disability qualifies for $6,800; non-service-connected with 50%+ rating ...

Veterans
Up to $3,200/year

Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit (25C)

30% federal tax credit on energy efficiency improvements. Up to $1,200/year for insulation, exterior doors ($250/door, $...

Energy
30% of costs

Residential Clean Energy Credit (25D)

30% federal tax credit on solar panels, solar water heaters, battery storage systems, fuel cells, and geothermal heat pu...

Energy
Up to $25,000

FHA Title 1 Home Improvement Loan

FHA-insured home improvement loans. Up to $25,000 for single-family homes; up to $7,500 unsecured (signature only, no eq...

Home Repair
Up to $75,000 (limited) or unlimited (standard)

FHA 203(k) Rehab Mortgage

Finance home purchase + renovation in one FHA loan. Limited 203(k) covers up to $75,000 for non-structural repairs. Stan...

Home Repair
Pays heating/cooling bills

NY HEAP Energy Assistance

NY Home Energy Assistance Program pays heating and cooling bills for low-income households, freeing up money for home re...

Energy
Free lead testing and abatement

HUD Lead Hazard Reduction (Buffalo)

Buffalo’s median build year is 1938, virtually every pre-1978 home (the vast majority in the city) may have lead paint. ...

Home Repair
Free (income under $79,000)

VITA Free Tax Preparation (Buffalo)

IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program through United Way of Buffalo & Erie County. Free tax prep to ensure homeown...

Tax Help
Below-market 30-year fixed mortgage

SONYMA Low Interest Rate Mortgage

SONYMA offers first-time buyers below-market 30-year fixed rate mortgages through participating lenders. Achieving the D...

Home Repair
Medicaid-funded home modifications

NY Medicaid HCBS Home Modifications

NYS Medicaid Home and Community Based Services waiver programs fund home modifications for Medicaid-enrolled residents w...

Seniors & Disability
Varies, no individual cap; projects typically $10K-$200K+

FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP)

HMGP provides funding after a presidentially declared disaster to help communities reduce future disaster losses. Homeow...

Disaster
Up to $30,000

FEMA Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC) Coverage

ICC coverage is built into every National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policy and pays up to $30,000 to help bring a s...

Disaster
Average $5,000-$10,000 in services per household

DOE Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP)

WAP provides free energy efficiency improvements to low-income households across all 50 states, DC, and territories. Eli...

Energy
Varies by jurisdiction, typically $5,000-$15,000 per unit

HUD Lead Hazard Control & Healthy Homes

HUD funds state, county, and city governments to identify and fix lead-based paint hazards and other health hazards (mol...

Seniors & Disability
Varies, full line replacement cost covered in many programs

EPA / WIIN Act Lead Service Line Replacement

EPA's WIIN Act grants and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) fund lead service line replacement programs in...

Seniors & Disability
Up to $10,000 grant (age 62+) and $40,000 loan, $50,000 combined

USDA Section 504 Rural Home Repair Loans & Grants

USDA's Section 504 program provides grants up to $10,000 for homeowners age 62+ with very low incomes in rural areas to ...

Home Repair
Free, up to 3 smoke alarms installed at no cost

American Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, Free Smoke Alarms

The American Red Cross installs free smoke alarms and creates home fire escape plans through their nationwide Home Fire ...

Home Repair
Varies by state, some offer $500-$1,000 radon mitigation assistance

EPA State Indoor Radon Grants, State Radon Programs

EPA provides State and Tribal Indoor Radon Grants (SIRG) to every state to fund radon risk reduction programs. While the...

Seniors & Disability
Varies by local affiliate, loans and grants available

NeighborWorks Network, Home Repair & Modification Programs

NeighborWorks America supports a network of nearly 250 local nonprofit housing organizations across every state, DC, and...

Home Repair
National Trust grants go to nonprofits/agencies, not direct to homeowners; state HPF grants vary

National Trust for Historic Preservation, Homeowner Resources

Owners of historic homes may access funding through their State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), which distributes H...

Historic
Loan guarantee, no dollar cap on loan amount (lender sets max)

HUD Section 184 Indian Home Loan Guarantee

The Section 184 Indian Home Loan Guarantee Program provides HUD-guaranteed mortgage financing for American Indian and Al...

Home Repair
Up to $3,000 rebate (package max)

NYS Comfort Home Program (NYSERDA)

The NYSERDA Comfort Home Program offers rebates to New York homeowners for insulation and air sealing improvements in on...

Energy
Up to $10,000 (air-source) or $18,000 (ground-source) depending on utility territory

NYS Clean Heat, Heat Pump Rebate Program

NYS Clean Heat provides rebates for the installation of cold-climate air-source heat pumps and ground-source heat pump s...

Energy
Up to $14,000 in no-cost energy improvements (Tier 1); up to $7,000 (Tier 2)

EmPower+ Program (NYSERDA)

EmPower+ provides no-cost home energy upgrades to income-eligible New York households, including insulation, air sealing...

Energy
$0.80/watt upstate and Con Edison territory; $0.40/watt on Long Island (~$5,600 for typical 7 kW system upstate)

NY-Sun Affordable Solar Residential Incentive (NYSERDA)

The NY-Sun Affordable Solar Residential Incentive provides enhanced per-watt rebates exclusively for income-eligible hou...

Solar/Renewable
Up to $40,000 per homeowner unit (rehabilitation assistance)

NYS HOME Program, Owner-Occupied Housing Rehabilitation

New York State's HOME Program uses federal HOME Investment Partnerships funds administered by HCR to help low-income hom...

Home Repair
Up to $50,000

SBA Microloan Program, Buffalo District Office

The SBA Buffalo District Office supports small businesses in western New York through the Microloan Program, 7(a) loans,...

Business
Up to $100,000

Buffalo Urban Development Corporation Small Business Loan

The Buffalo Urban Development Corporation (BUDC) provides small business financing through revolving loan funds and econ...

Business
Varies by family size and income

New York Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP)

New York's Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) provides subsidized child care to eligible low-income families statewide...

Childcare
Free comprehensive services, no cost to eligible families

Buffalo Head Start / Early Head Start

Buffalo and Erie County Head Start programs provide free comprehensive early childhood services to low-income families. ...

Childcare

Stack programs to maximize your savings

Many of these programs can be combined. For example, you can use a city repair grant for the work, a utility rebate for the energy savings, and a federal tax credit on top, all for the same project.

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Grant-Approved Contractors in Buffalo

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Frequently asked questions

What home improvement grants are available in Buffalo, NY?

53 programs are currently listed for Buffalo, including HOCN CDBG Housing Repair Program, BURA Target Streets Rehab Program, HOCN West Side Home Repair Program.

Do home improvement grants in Buffalo have to be repaid?

Grants do not have to be repaid. Forgivable loans are forgiven over a residency period, and rebates refund your money after the purchase. In Buffalo, 35 programs do not require repayment, 4 are forgivable loans, and 6 are rebates.

How do I apply for home repair grants in Buffalo?

Every program listing carries the official application link and phone number for the administering agency. Homeowners apply directly with that agency; there is no middleman and no fee.