Grants and Opportunities

NBRC Grants Management System – Open for Spring Round awardees and registration for Fall Round only.  GMS to open to Fall Round preapplications in mid-August.

Details on dates and times and how to register will be updated by July 12th for the following:

The CATALYST PROGRAM stimulates economic growth and inspires partnerships that improve rural economic vitality across the four-state NBRC region. The Catalyst Program supports a broad range of economic development initiatives that modernize and expand water and wastewater systems; revitalize transportation infrastructure; establish workforce development programs and facilities; grow outdoor recreation infrastructure and economies; and construct new childcare and healthcare facilities.

 

 

The FOREST ECONOMY PROGRAM supports the forest-based economy and assists in the industry’s evolution to include new technologies and viable business models across the 4-state NBRC region. The Forest Economy Program is distinct from other programs in two important ways: 1) the Forest Economy Program emphasizes the potential for impact across the entire NBRC region; and 2) Infrastructure projects (defined by Congress in NBRC’s authorizing language to be inclusive of transportation, water and wastewater, telecommunications, and energy) must directly support the forest industry.


 

The TIMBER FOR TRANSIT PROGRAM advances the use of domestic forest products in transportation infrastructure projects across Maine, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont to showcase the capabilities of wood in these applications. Highly competitive projects will demonstrate and widely promote the utility of high value forest products (e.g. glued laminated timber, cross laminated timber, composite materials, etc.) in transportation infrastructure and commit to enhancing climate resilience in rural communities.



PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES


The  WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITY FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES INITIATIVE (WORC), provides grant funds to support workforce development activities that prepare workers for good jobs in high-demand occupations in rural communities. NBRC partners with the Department of Labor to provide grantees with technical assistance to promote successful projects and strong outcomes for workers and businesses.  NBRC State Program Managers are not the primary support for applicants to the WORC program. Interested applicants are invited to submit questions to NBRC’s technical assistance provider, Chamberlin/Dunn* at mc@chamberlindunn.com or nd@chamberlindunn.com.

*NBRC is pleased to continue to work with Chamberlin/Dunn LLC (C/D) to deliver pre-application and post-award technical assistance to Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities (WORC) Round 6 applicants and grantees in the Northern Border Region. C/D brings extensive experience with Department of Labor grants, generally, and with the WORC initiative specifically. Chamberlin/Dunn has served as the TA provider for WORC grantees in the Appalachian region since the program’s Round 1, in 2019, and for the Northern Border and Delta regions since Round 5. Based in Indiana, C/D works with nonprofit and public organizations throughout the U.S. to plan, evaluate, and improve programs that support community prosperity. www.chamberlindunn.com

The Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for the sixth round of the WORC program can be found here Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities (WORC) Initiative | U.S. Department of Labor (dol.gov).   Please CLICK HERE for information on the upcoming webinars to be hosted by both DoL and NBRC to provide additional program details, as well as technical assistance available to potential applicants to the program in the region.  These sessions will be free and open to the public. 

The RECREATION ECONOMY FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES INITIATIVE (RERC) is managed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Community Revitalization. RERC is a planning assistance program which helps communities identify strategies to grow their outdoor recreation economy and revitalize their Main Streets. NBRC State Program Managers are not the primary support for applicants to the RERC program.

The EPA’s RERC program page (EPA page) will be updated when there is a new call for communities to apply for assistance. NBRC will update this page as more details become available.




ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

NBRC’s J-1 VISA PROGRAM reduces the healthcare provider shortage and promotes equitable healthcare access in Maine, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. Under NBRC’s program, requests for waivers must be sponsored by a state within the NBRC’s region and complements each State’s already existing Conrad 30 waiver programs. 

 

 

NBRC’s LOCAL DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT (LDD) PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM builds capacity of LDDs to serve applicants to NBRC programs, with special attention to underrepresented and disadvantaged communities.  The NBRC Federal-State partnership is aided by a group of regional organizations called Local Development Districts (LDDs) that assist the NBRC in its outreach activities and administer NBRC investments for grantees. LDDs are either an already existing federally designated Economic Development District, as certiļ¬ed by the US Economic Development Administration, or an organization similar in nature to a regional planning commission.

 


STATE CAPACITY GRANTS are non-competitive and available to the states of ME, NH, NY and VT. To better focus NBRC funds, the Commission can assist Member States to develop comprehensive economic and infrastructure development plans for their NBRC counties. Plans are to reflect the goals, objectives, and priorities within NBRC's economic and infrastructure plan. This is done in collaboration with Local Development Districts, local governments, higher education centers, and the public. 

 


 


PROJECT INTEREST FORM

NBRC recommends interested applicants complete the Project Interest Form before meeting with their State Program Manager or submitting a pre-application. The information in this form allows the program manager to maximize the opportunity for feedback and funding program suggestions during project development meetings.  This is not a required and this is not the pre-application.

The NBRC will post updates on all funding opportunities to our website, and share details through stakeholders, press outlets, and other channels as soon as further information is available. Questions regarding NBRC’s Program Areas should be directed to Program Director, Andrea Smith via asmith@nbrc.gov.