Administration opens Community One Stop for Growth

At the MMA’s Connect 351 conference on Jan. 23, Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll announced the launch of the fiscal 2027 application for Community One Stop for Growth, a portal that provides access for municipalities and organizations to 14 state economic development grant programs.

Programs in the One Stop offer direct funding and support to housing and economic development projects related to placemaking, planning and zoning, site preparation, building construction, and infrastructure.

Driscoll encouraged communities who have not yet participated in One Stop to join the process.

Community One Stop offers a streamlined process for communities, organizations, and developers to access a range of economic development grants and technical assistance across multiple agencies. One Stop grant programs are administered by the Executive Office of Economic Development, the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, and the quasi-public MassDevelopment agency.

Municipalities and organizations wishing to apply for funding through Community One Stop may begin by participating in an optional Expression of Interest process that runs through June 3. During this time, applicants may receive guidance on priority projects from Executive Office of Economic Development staff before submitting a full application.

Interested communities may also participate in virtual office hours throughout February, March and April that cover both general One Stop information as well as specific grants within the One Stop program.

In addition, the state will host a webinar series in February covering One Stop topics, including a general overview session on Feb. 2, an application guidance session on Feb. 4, and prerecorded webinars covering the One Stop technology system, to be posted on Feb. 5, and individual grant programs, to be posted on Feb. 12.

Applicants may begin working on their applications now in the portal. The EOED will accept full application submissions from May 4 through June 3, with awards announced in October with contracting expected to begin in November.

Grant programs accessible through Community One Stop include the MassWorks Infrastructure Program, the Massachusetts Downtown Initiative, Vacant Storefront Program, the Rural Development Fund, the Housing Choice Grant Program, the Community Planning Grant Program, the HousingWorks Infrastructure Program, the Underutilized Properties Program, the Site Readiness Program, the Brownfields Redevelopment Fund, and the Real Estate Services Technical Assistance, and The TDI Equity Investment Program.

This year, Community One Stop is adding two existing state economic development programs to the portal: the Seaport Economic Council Grant Program and the MBTA Communities Catalyst Fund.

The Seaport Economic Council Grant Program provides capital funds to coastal communities for community planning and investment to stimulate economic development, advance maritime technology development and innovation, and to construct, enhance and protect coastal assets.

The MBTA Communities Catalyst Fund supports activities related to horizontal infrastructure associated with housing.

Since its launch in 2021, Community One Stop has given nearly 1,500 awards totaling more than $744 million in grants to 306 communities, including $227 million to Gateway Cities and $179 million to rural and small towns.

For more information and application details, visit www.mass.gov/onestop.