NY Forward (NYF ) launched in 2022 to invigorate and enliven downtowns in New York’s smaller and rural communities—the type of downtowns found in villages, hamlets, and other small, neighborhood-scale municipal centers. Similar to the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI), and with Department of State planning and implementation support, NYF communities develop a Strategic Investment Plan with a slate of readily implementable projects needed to attract more businesses, residents, and visitors, while also providing a higher quality of life for all residents.