The Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) and the Windham County Advisory Council are pleased to announce the relaunch of the Windham County Economic Development Program.
ACCD has worked closely with state and regional partners to redesign the program to ensure greater local and regional participation in the process, simplify the application process – especially for businesses – and improve communication about the program to the region. The regional partners have formed a Windham County Advisory Councilconsisting of BDCC, WRC, SeVEDS, SBDC, ACCD, municipalities with designated downtowns – Brattleboro, Wilmington, Rockingham – plus Vernon.
This Council will provide local and regional input and advice to the program, is involved in program development, marketing, and regional communication, and is responsible for reviewing Letters of Intent to Apply. The Council will also provide annual program reviews and suggest ways to improve and redirect the program.
WCEDP funds will now be made available through a revolving loan program administered by the Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA); incentive packages for businesses creating new jobs, negotiated by state, regional, and local partners; and competitive grants for applications that respond to an annual Request For Proposals.
Loan and competitive grant applicants are required to file a Letter of Intent to Apply, which will be reviewed by the Windham County Advisory Council and ACCD. If the LOI is approved, applicants can then file a full application.
The loan program offers competitive rates and terms and applications will be filed directly with VEDA on a continuous schedule. VEDA will underwrite and administer the loans, which require only successful VEDA underwriting and ACCD approval to continue to closing.
Competitive grant applications will be filed with ACCD, scored by ACCD staff and reviewed by the Vermont Economic Progress Council for inclusion in a prioritization and allocation recommendation to the Governor. The Governor will make final competitive grant allocations.
Loan and competitive grant applicants are strongly advised to seek counseling from regional technical assistance providers. Potential loan and competitive grant applicants are required to attend a Letter of Intent to Apply Workshop prior to filing an LOI, and if an LOI is approved applicants are required to attend an Application Workshop. All workshops are scheduled. This round of workshops will be recorded so that future loan applicants will have the option to certify that they watched the workshops online in order to file a loan application at any time.
For further information on the program, please visitwww.GoWindham.Vermont.gov
Patricia Moulton | Secretary
Agency of Commerce and Community Development
Fred Kenney | Executive Director
Vermont Economic Progress Council
Kimberly A. Baker | Grants Management Specialist
Vermont Economic Progress Council
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