Communities we collaborate with see an increase in municipal revenue, business attraction, job creation, and property reuse and redevelopment. By taking a collaborative, proactive approach to community development, our Community Initiatives team works with you to maximize the impact of each project and generate future investment. Click here to learn more about what we do .
USDA Rural Housing Service

USDA Rural Development has taken a number of immediate actions to help rural residents, businesses and communities affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. The agency is offering resources and waving some restrictions for the following programs.

  • Single-Family Housing
  • Guaranteed Loan Program
  • Direct Loan Program
  • Multi-Family Housing

For questions, please contact Vicki Rusbult at vrusbult@emdc.org or (207) 951-0738 and she can connect you with the appropriate contacts, or visit the USDA's website below.
Comprehensive Plans

The Municipal Planning Assistance Program is soliciting requests for the Spring 2020 round of Comprehensive Planning Resource Packages. Each town-specific package contains all the state-sourced data and maps a local comprehensive planning committee will need to develop a plan that’s consistent with Maine’s Growth Management Act.

Request a resource package by Friday, April 8th for any community that is:

  1. expecting to start work on a comp plan within the next six months, or
  2. currently working on a comp plan with a resource package that is 18-months-old or older.
EMDC Economic Response Teams Recognized by NADO

Our Economic Opportunity Response Teams (EORT) improve community resiliency and promote economic diversification through individualized plans, strategies, and partnerships. We were recognized nationally as one of 66 recipients of NADO's 2019 Impact Award, and are featured on CEDS Central .

This model has re-framed how EMDC engages in regional economic development. It has impacted how the we write our CEDS plan. As the EORT model evolved, the CEDS began to reflect the individualized, integrated, and long-term nature of our framework.

The results are impressive: small towns such as Lincoln and Bucksport have experienced revitalization and economic diversification, including investments from the ME State Advisory Board and Microsoft. Because of the partnerships formed and successes achieved through this effort, EMDC now recognizes the EORT approach as the model for economic development in the region and has positioned local communities to better respond to the challenges it faces now and in the future.
Upcoming Deadlines for Funding
  • April 15, 2020: USDA RD extended the application deadline for the Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG) program. Contact the Rural Development office for the deadline in your state. USDA announced the extension in an Unnumbered Letter posted March 19, 2020.

  • April 15, 2020: USDA RD extended the application deadline for the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). For additional information, see page 16925 of the March 25, 2020, Federal Register.

  • May 7, 202: ConnectME Authority of Maine extended the application deadline for infrastructure and planning grants. Click here for more details.
Vicki Rusbult
(207) 951-0738
William Harper
(207) 942-6389
EMDC • 40 Harlow Street, Bangor, Maine 04401 • www.emdc.org