Northern Border Commission offers infrastructure grants
Projects in 7 New Hampshire counties eligible for funding
Applications are now being accepted for the Northern Border Regional Commission’s Economic and Infrastructure Development Investment Program, which awards grants of up to $500,000 for infrastructure projects and $250,000 for other eligible projects. The application deadline is May 10.
The recent reauthorization of NBRC expands the service area for eligible projects in all or parts of Belknap, Carroll, Cheshire, Coos, Grafton and Sullivan counties.
Created in 2008, the NBRC is a federal-state partnership for economic and community development in New York, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire.
Proposals will be accepted for projects related to transportation, telecommunication and basic public infrastructure; workforce development; entrepreneurship, technology, or business development; resource conservation, tourism and recreation, or publicly owned renewable energy development, and projects for basic health care and other public services.
The state Department of Business and Economic Affairs will coordinate applications for the state. When the rankings are complete, Gov. Chris Sununu will put forward the priority projects to the commission.
In 2018, the NRBC awarded 15 grants in New Hampshire, totaling over $2.8 million to projects in Berlin, Bristol, Canaan, Enfield, Laconia, Lancaster, Lebanon, Littleton, Lyme, North Conway, Plymouth, Whitefield and Wolfeboro.
An additional $7 million is also available through NBRC’s new Regional Forest Economy Partnership. This funding is aimed at revitalizing communities affected by declines in the forest products industry. Eligible applicants may be invited to apply for up to $1 million if they are able to demonstrate that any one of four criteria are met: an industry change in employment due to a decline of the forest industry, a wage reduction in the project area, a mill or forest-based manufacturer closing in the past 20 years, or county population loss. The NBRC encourages applications that have a multi-state benefit.
For more information, contact Mollie Kaylor at the Division of Economic Development, 603-271-6305 or mollie.kaylor@livefree.nh.gov. The application is available at nbrc.gov.
