Alex Zipparo from the Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission (LCRPC) and Sarah Demers from the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development will host a Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) Catalyst Program Grant webinar on Jan. 29 from 3 to 4 p.m. This webinar will be remote via Zoom. A link will only be provided to those who RSVP for the webinar. The deadline to RSVP is 5 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 27.

The Catalyst Program is the primary competitive grant through NBRC, featuring grant opportunities in the spring and fall. Pre-applications for the 2026 spring round are due on Feb. 27. Successful pre-applications will be invited to submit a full application, which is due on April 17.  Eligible applicants (local governments, secondary and career technical centers, nonprofits, federally recognized and Indian Tribes) and their partners are encouraged to attend. For-profit entities, LLCs and other entities that are not a 501(c) are not eligible to apply for Catalyst Program funding. 

NBRC is a federal-state partnership for economic and community development that certain counties in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York are eligible to participate in. This partnership was created to address economic transitions through strategic investments. Lincoln County entities became eligible to apply for NBRC funding in 2025, following the congressional reauthorization of the program. In the first year of eligibility, the towns of Boothbay Harbor and Waldoboro received grants for municipal water improvement projects. For this round of grants, Damariscotta, Dresden, Jefferson, Somerville, and Whitefield are required to provide at least 20% match of the full grant amount, while all other municipalities require at least a 50% match.   

“We are very thankful for the hard work and leadership from those who make Lincoln County’s inclusion in this program possible. This new opportunity will pump fuel into our region’s economic development engine and provide a much-needed financial infusion into the heart of Maine’s Midcoast”, said Zipparo. To learn more about NBRC, including details about previously funded grant projects, visit their website: https://www.nbrc.gov/  

Lincoln County communities that are interested in submitting a pre-application should reach out to Alex Zipparo at LCRPC to schedule a pre-application meeting and RSVP to the Jan. 29 webinar. For any questions about the webinar and to RSVP, please contact Alex Zipparo at azipparo@lcrpc.org.