Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
A new economic development grant program included in the fiscal 2016 state budget will support Gov. Charlie Baker’s Urban Agenda with $2 million in competitive funding for municipalities.
The grants will be administered by the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development and will fund innovative community partnerships that leverage local economic assets. The grant program will be open to all municipalities across the state, and applications will be limited to one per municipality. The EOHED anticipates that three to five grants will be awarded.
“These grants will give communities the flexibility to engage targeted businesses and sectors, without imposing a one-size-fits-all structure that could stifle local innovation,” EOHED Secretary Jay Ash wrote in the Gateway Cities Journal.
Ash noted that the grants will go to economic development projects in communities that focus on cross-sector collaboration to achieve successful outcomes and create replicable and scalable models.
According to a statement released by the governor’s office, the program will challenge neighborhoods across Massachusetts to form partnerships that leverage existing economic assets, target specific workforce populations, define their economic development and quality-of-life goals, and then deliver on those goals.
The governor’s Urban Agenda is a series of policy goals around improving education, economic development, affordable housing, and public safety, including youth violence reduction and recidivism prevention.
The fiscal 2016 budget also includes $1 million for Urban Agenda grants to be awarded through the Department of Housing and Community Development for housing projects that encourage economic development in surrounding neighborhoods. Each grant of approximately $200,000 will assist with the planning and construction of approximately 300 units of housing by paying for development planning and other costs.
“Communities move forward when we enable them to solve local problems by leveraging local resources,” Gov. Baker said in a statement. “We look forward to seeing the results of the Urban Agenda in our communities.”
Guidelines for submitting applications for the grant programs are expected in the coming months.