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Small Town America
Civic Volunteer Award Nominations Open
Main Street America is co-sponsoring the Small Town America Civic Volunteer Award (STACVA), an annual awards program sponsored by CivicPlus. STACVA is an annual program that honors 100 extraordinary public service volunteers in localities with populations under 25,000. It spotlights the urgent need for citizens to fill critical civic volunteer roles including local government boards and councils, volunteer firefighters, EMTs, and the many advisory committees that support key local government functions.
Localities represented by the top 100 national nominees will receive free volunteer management modules and 12 months of free ongoing support services from CivicPlus, with the top 3 also receiving cash awards of $20,000, $10,000, and $5,000 respectively. The nomination portal opened July 15th; entries are due by October 15, 2021.
This is a great opportunity for Main Street communities to elevate and celebrate the incredible work of local volunteers who play a pivotal role in revitalizing our downtowns and commercial districts. We strongly encourage eligible communities to apply!Learn More about STACVA
USDA Rural Placemaking Grants Available
USDA is making available up to $3 million in cooperative agreements under the Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge (RPIC) for eligible entities to help them provide planning support, technical assistance and training to foster placemaking activities in rural communities. Rural placemaking is defined as a collaborative process among public, private, philanthropic and community partners to strategically improve the social, cultural, and economic structure of a community. This work is based on a sense of place with qualitative and quantitative outcomes.
Qualified entities can use the funds to help rural communities create plans to enhance capacity for broadband access; preserve cultural and historic structures; and support the development of transportation, housing, and recreational spaces. Application deadline is July 26, 2021. Learn More
Women's Business Development Council Offering Grants To Women-Owned Small Businesses
The Equity Match Grant Program is designed to help women-owned businesses grow. Grants between $2,500 and $10,000 will be awarded for clearly defined projects that will have a measurable impact on the business, its growth and profitability. The grant funds cannot be used towards operating expenses, payroll, or real estate improvements. Applicants are required to provide a minimum 25% match.
Grant applications will be accepted from September 7th – 28th.Learn More
CMSC Blog: When It Comes to Vibrant Cites and Towns, Investment = Sustainability
The arts & culture industry was one of the worst hit during the Covid pandemic. Our new blog from Wendy Bury of the Cultural Coalition discusses the impact community investment made on arts & culture's ability to survive and how Main Street organizations can
“If we remediate these properties now, we can turn an eyesore into an asset, revitalize neighborhoods, and transform otherwise unusable property into new space for businesses and residents,” said Governor Lamont.
The grants are from DECD’s Brownfield Remediation Program. The funding from the state is expected to leverage approximately $156 million in private funding and help in the investigation and clean-up of approximately 418 acres of land.
Celebrate Mansfield Festival Returns In-Person This Fall
The Mansfield Downtown Partnership recently announced its Celebrate Mansfield Festivalwill return to its traditional, in-person format this fall. Mansfield’s largest community event will take place Saturday, October 2nd in Downtown Storrs. There is one change for this year – a rain date of Saturday, October 9th.
This year marks Mansfield Downtown Partnership’s 18th year celebrating the people, businesses, and community organizations that make Mansfield a wonderful place to grow with hands-on fun for all ages, food from local restaurants, and live entertainment. This low-waste event is free and open to everyone.
Planning will continue throughout the summer, with news and announcements on MDP's website and social media (@DowntownStorrs on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram).
Sponsorship is key to CMSC's ability to provide services to our members, and education & technical assistance to CT's downtowns. We proudly thank our many generous sponsors below.
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