Photo / Courtesy Maine Office of Community Affairs
Samantha Horn
Updated: 0 sec ago
Maine launches funding platform to tackle 'biggest and most complex challenges'
Last year, the state launched the Maine Funding Network as a one-stop platform to connect businesses to financing and consulting services.
Now the state has a similar program underway to connect communities with resources for planning and funding.
The Maine Office of Community Affairs, created last year, launched a dedicated phone line that answers questions for municipal staff and an online Maine Community Funding Finder that centralizes grant opportunities.
“These new tools are a direct response to what we’ve heard from Maine communities — that they need simple, clear ways to navigate state government and find funding for local projects,” said Samantha Horn, director of the Maine Office of Community Affairs.
For rural spots like Van Buren, an Aroostook County town with just over 1,600 residents, the new service simplifies the state-funding process.
“For rural towns like Van Buren, capacity is always our biggest challenge,” said Luke Dyer, town manager. “MOCA’s new funding-finder portal, paired with a direct phone line we can call for guidance, gives us something we’ve never had before: a single place to navigate state programs that support revitalization, housing, broadband, resilience and community development.”
On the frontlines
"Communities across Maine are on the frontlines of some of our biggest and most complex challenges,” said Gov. Janet Mills.
The one-stop shop supports delivery of planning and technical assistance, coordinates resources across agencies and aims to ensure consistent interactions with municipal leaders.
In September, MOCA brought together seven programs from across state government involving land use, housing and flood plain planning, climate resilience, building codes, coastal management and mobilizing volunteers; and added a newly established State Resilience Office and staff, which is leading cross-agency efforts to enhance climate resilience across the state, especially in communities with significant climate vulnerabilities impacting residents, infrastructure and the environment.
The phone line, (207) 287-MOCA (6622), is answered by MOCA staff and is designed to answer questions about planning and resilience, such as where to find resources to prevent or recover from storm damage, information about municipal ordinances and housing development, resources for creating and sustaining volunteer networks and climate-adaptation and -mitigation activities.
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