Interested in becoming a N/NORC?

(Aug. 11, 2026) This year's 2026-27 State Budget included a doubling of funds for Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities or NORCs, both traditional and neighborhood models. The NORC program, housed under the NYS Office for the Aging, provides grants to local lead organizations to coordinate a broad range of health and social services to help support older residents to age in their own homes. NORCs do this by facilitating and integrating the health and social services already available in the community while organizing additional services and supports necessary to help meet the goal of enabling older adults to remain in their community.

This year, the State will have an additional $8M to spend on existing and new NORCs, both upstate and downstate. LeadingAge New York members are ideal candidates for delivering these services and supporting their local communities. They have the knowledge, the resources, and local partnerships already in place. Most members already do this work in some shape or form.

If you'd like to learn more about traditional and neighborhood NORCs and potentially prepare for this opportunity, there are several resources available. Please take a look at the State Office for the Aging website for a variety of information, including a recent short documentary on NORCs, the NORC Blueprint, which is general non-NYS specific information on NORCs, and the State's programmatic requirements for the model. 

If you'd like additional information and the opportunity to pose questions about the model, Kristin Smith, Aging Services Program Coordinator 2 at NYSOFA, is available to talk with members one-on-one to learn more.  She will not be able to share specifics about the upcoming Request for Applications, but she can share current expectations and requirements of the program and the way current models structure themselves. 

You can reach Kristin at kristin.smith@aging.ny.gov.

Existing classic NORCs can be found here.  Neighborhood NORCs can be found here.  There are only 5 upstate NORCs at this time. 

LeadingAge New York will keep members abreast of announcements and details on the N/NORC program and will share when the RFA opportunity is posted. 

Contact: Meg Everett, meverett@leadingageny.org