The information contained in this article is not intended as legal advice and may no longer be accurate due to changes in the law. Consult NHMA's legal services or your municipal attorney.
When I served on the City Council, I quickly learned that each budgetary season is challenging. Funding municipal operations while investing in community development projects can seem impossible without raising property taxes, and no one wants higher taxes. So, grant funding is often an attractive alternative, but is it feasible? For communities like Claremont with a larger staff experienced in grant writing, it is. But what about the smaller communities with limited staff and little experience in grant writing? To improve accessibility to grants, like those offered by Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC), the NH Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) contracted with a private vendor, Arnett Development Group (ADG), to offer free technical assistance and coaching.
Since its inception in 2022, the technical assistance program has proven to be effective. Over the last three years, 80% of the applicants who were awarded NBRC funding utilized this free service. More importantly, the program has leveled the playing field by providing inexperienced applicants with the assistance needed to submit a competitive application. Data from the last three years shows that 68% of coached applicants were unfamiliar with the NBRC application process.
Such was the case when a group of individuals in Cornish decided to pursue NBRC funding on behalf of the Cornish Community Initiative (CCI). A nonprofit, CCI was formed to raise funds to transform the vacant general store into a library and community resource hub, connecting residents to after-school, Makerspace and Work Ready NH programming. The group applying on behalf of the nonprofit had never written an NBRC grant application and opted to participate in the technical assistance program.
As a result, they had access to technical assistance and coaching that enabled them to submit a competitive application. In January, NBRC announced that CCI was awarded a grant of $727,456. These funds coupled with CCI’s fundraising efforts will allow Cornish, a small town of less than 2000, to move forward with the biggest economic investment made in years.
Each year, since 2022, fewer municipalities have applied for NBRC funding. Given the transformative power of strategic economic investment, this is a missed opportunity for many communities. By sharing the availability and success of this free program, I hope more municipalities will participate.
Feedback about the technical assistance program has been overwhelmingly positive. Given the high percentage of applicants who were unfamiliar with the NBRC application process, it is easy to understand why so many participants described the program as essential.
If you believe that you could benefit from NBRC funding, it is not too early to start making inquiries. The next funding round is later this summer, with a pre-application deadline of Aug 29. If you have a project in mind, you can access the free technical assistance program by following the steps below:
- Go to https://nbrc-nh.com or contact Ian Carmichael, State Program Manager, at 603-419-9709 or by e-mail at Ian.M.Carmichael@livefree.nh.gov.
- Once at the website, fill out the questionnaire and schedule an intake session.
- During the intake session, the technical assistance team will help you determine if NBRC funding is appropriate and if you are ready to apply for funding.
- Should you decide to move forward with an application, the technical assistance team will assign you a coach who will advise you during the pre-application phase.
- Should NBRC invite you to apply, your coach will continue to assist you during the application phase.
Beyond coaching, the technical assistance team can also help with market research and connect you to various resources that will strengthen your application. It is also possible that, by following the process above, you may discover that waiting to submit your application may be the better choice. Whatever path you choose, accessing this free program will save you time, build capacity and increase your success rate. To learn more about NBRC funding opportunities, please go to New Hampshire | Northern Border Regional Commission.
Charlene Lovett is the former Mayor of Claremont, a former State Representative, a coach with Arnett Development Group, and serves on numerous boards and committees at the local and state level. She can be reached via email at charlenelovett2022@gmail.com