Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) Catalyst Program

Link

View Program Website

Sponsor

Northern Border Regional Commission

Deadlines

Letter of Intent (Required): Aug 29, 2025
Application: Oct 10, 2025

Contact

For eligibility and agency questions:
Adrianne Harrison
603.369.3001
aharrison@nbrc.gov

State Program Managers:

Maine:
Charlotte Mace
207.624.7448
charlotte.mace@maine.gov

New Hampshire:
Ian Davis
603.271.0252
ian.m.davis@livefree.nh.gov

Vermont:
Kristie Farnham
802.398.5268
kristie.farnham@vermont.gov

New York:
Kyle Wilber
518.473.3694
kyle.wilber@dos.ny.gov

Purpose

The Catalyst Program supports a broad range of initiatives to stimulate growth and foster partnerships to improve rural economic vitality in the Northern Border Regional Commission service area. Funds may be used for infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects in the following focus areas:

Basic Healthcare
Business and Workforce Development
Resource Conservation, Tourism, Recreation
Transportation Infrastructure
Basic public Infrastructure
Telecommunications Infrastructure
Renewable Energy

Priority will be given to projects that:

Directly benefit communities that have been underrepresented in past NBRC investments will be prioritized. The focus is on rural communities with fewer than 5,000 people and distressed communities defined as high rates of poverty, unemployment, or outmigration and communities that experience socioeconomic and environmental burdens, including high unemployment and poverty, basic resources.
Address multiple needs and how those needs align with Catalyst project categories. Priority will be given to projects that demonstrate efficiencies gained from meeting multiple needs in one project.
Adapt to changing conditions and extreme weather events. Priority will be given to projects that demonstrate how they help communities prevent, reduce, withstand, and/or improve recovery from extreme weather.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants include:

State governments
Local governments and secondary and career technical centers
Other political subdivisions of states
Federally recognized Tribes
Nonprofits

Projects must be located within the NBRC service area in Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont.

Geographic coverage

Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont

Amount of funding

Award ceiling:

$500,000 for non-infrastructure projects
$100,000 for feasibility projects
$1,000,000 for infrastructure projects

Project period: 3 years

Application process

Links to additional guidance and the application instructions are available on the program website.

Complete the pre-application through the online application system by March 7, 2025. Selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal, with a deadline of April 18, 2025.

Tagged as

Access · Capital funding · Community and economic development · Environmental health · Health disparities · Health workforce education and training · Healthcare facilities · Healthcare needs and services · Housing and homelessness · Infrastructure · Limited English proficient · Networking and collaboration · Poverty · Public health · Recruitment and retention of health professionals · Social determinants of health · Technology for health and human services · Telehealth · Transportation · Tribal communities · Wellness, health promotion, and disease prevention · Maine · New Hampshire · New York · Vermont

For complete information about funding programs, including your application status, please contact funders directly. Summaries are provided for your convenience only. RHIhub does not take part in application processes or monitor application status.