Continuing to help support our rural communities in partnership with USDA

Our Community Facilities Technical Assistance partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development has continued strong into the Spring.

Since September, the program has connected with 18 potential ultimate recipients, among those are town offices and non-profits who may eventually apply to the Community Facilities Loan and Grant Programs.

The Community Facilities Technical Assistance program allows us to connect with non-profits and towns in our service area that may be in need of constructing new or improving current facilities. What we get to do is provide planning support to these entities so they can focus their projects and potentially connect them with technical assistance providers with even more expertise.

Eventually, the goal is for eligible organizations to apply for the USDA Rural Development Direct Loan and Grant programs.

So far this season, we have helped organizations in 10 of our Windham Region communities.

Another important focus for the Community Facilities program has been a new series of “issue specific” calls with USDA Rural Development. The first call included members from organizations focusing on rural healthcare, and planning is ongoing for non-profit childcare providers in our region. These calls give interested entities the opportunity to connect with USDA Rural Development staff and understand how the Community Facilities Loan and Grant programs may benefit them.

The technical assistance program has supported dozens of other town and organizations in our region since BDCC started its role as an intermediary for the program. And we hope to continue connecting with other interested parties to continue supporting the development of our rural community.

To learn more about the Community Facilities Technical Assistance Program, please visit the page on our website.