Submit Community Economic Development Projects for Consideration by January 20, 2023
Santa Fe, N.M. – New Mexico MainStreet (NMMS) is now accepting applications for new community economic development projects as part of the Frontier & Native American Communities (FNAC) and Urban Neighborhood Commercial Corridor (UNCC) Initiatives. Selected communities will receive NMMS professional services and technical assistance to implement the proposed project within 12-18 months. Projects must demonstrate job creation, business development, leverage private sector investment, or enhance the community’s economic environment.
The FNAC Initiative is a community-driven, asset-based economic development program that provides support to rural and Native American communities with less than 15,000 in population. The UNCC Initiative provides project-based community economic development support to urban neighborhood commercial corridors located in cities with more than 50,000 in population. NMMS provides free professional services to selected communities, but these initiatives do not constitute a grant program and direct funding is not part of the services or resources provided.
“This is the eighth round of the Frontier & Native American Communities Initiative and the second round of the Urban Neighborhood Commercial Corridor Initiative. These initiatives support projects throughout the state to preserve and develop community assets which has an impact on the local economy, and motivates interest in additional economic development projects,” New Mexico MainStreet Director Daniel Gutierrez said.
A list of potential eligible projects can be found in the application and include placemaking, façade improvements, historic preservation, property redevelopment, planning, entrepreneur support, creative economy development, and promotion.
The application can be found on nmmainstreet.org and will be accepted until 5:00 pm on January 20, 2023. Selected projects will be announced in February and project work will begin in the Spring/Summer of 2023. NMMS staff are available to assist communities with the application process.
NMMS professionals review the applications, and the selection process is very competitive. Applicants are encouraged to attend the Pre-Application Zoom Meeting on December 8, 2022, which will be recorded and available on NMMS’s website afterwards.
The number of communities selected each year is contingent upon the New Mexico State Legislature’s annual appropriation to the NMMS Program. The Frontier & Native American Communities Initiative was created by the Legislature in 2013 and 39 Frontier Community Projects have been completed in more than 37 rural communities.
For more information about either initiative, contact Daniel Gutierrez at (505) 827-0151 or Lucas Pedraza at (505) 827-0168.
Photos from previous projects:
(Click images for larger version.)
###
About New Mexico MainStreet (NMMS):
NMMS develops local capacity to engage people, rebuild places and grow the entrepreneurial, creative & business environment resulting in economically thriving downtowns, greater business & employment opportunities, and a higher quality of life. NMMS was founded in 1984 and currently serves 30 affiliated MainStreet Districts, 12 affiliated Arts & Cultural Districts, 6 Frontier & Native American Community projects, 4 Urban Neighborhood Commercial Corridor projects and 11 Historic Theaters. Learn more at nmmainstreet.org. NMMS is a program of the New Mexico Economic Development Department.
For Immediate Release: November 14, 2022
Contact: Jessica Mraz
Phone: (505) 365-3998
info@nmmainstreet.org
Download PDF