Brainard is a hamlet in the town of in the Village of East Nassau, Rensselaer County, New York, United States.

The community is located along U.S. Route 20 and New York State Route 66 5.2 miles (8.4 km) east-south east of the village of Nassau.

Brainard has a post office with ZIP code 12024, which opened on April 7, 1881.

[2][3] The community was named after David Brainerd, a Christian missionary to local Indians.

This article about a location in Rensselaer County, New York is a stub.