MassDevelopment’s “Commonwealth Places” is a competitive opportunity to advance locally-driven placemaking in downtown and neighborhood commercial districts in eligible communities throughout Massachusetts.
Donor Name: Mass Development
State: Massachusetts
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): Ongoing
Size of the Grant:
- Seed Grants: $2,500 – $15,000
- Implementation Grants: $5,000 and $50,000
Details:
Types of Projects Allowed
Projects should be contextual to their city, town, and neighborhood, and should highlight unique aspects of the community and built environment. Projects should improve or enhance vacant or underutilized publically-accessible spaces. Projects must relate to local economic and community development priorities. Community projects that provide benefits to the private sector must benefit two or more unaffiliated private businesses. Projects must demonstrate an ability to advance at least one of the following program objectives:
- Support downtowns, main streets, and local small businesses
- Increase social cohesion, defined here as “the strength of relationships and the sense of solidarity among members of a community.”
Seed Grant Projects – may include, but are not limited to, the following project elements:
- Placemaking workshop series facilitation paired with design service
- Facilitation training for community members who then lead local engagement effort
- Compensation for community leaders’ time during planning and engagement
- Participatory displays, in-person and remote engagement infrastructure and events, and educational activities around topics relevant to placemaking and local economic development
- Activities that remove barriers to participation within the placemaking process
Implementation Grant Projects – may include, but are not limited to, the following project elements:
- Creation of outdoor seating spaces including spaces intended to support outdoor dining (either centralized or outside of individual establishment). Subject to local approval, these spaces may be created on sidewalks, lots adjacent to dining establishments, or as parklets constructed within parking spaces. Outdoor seating project elements may include tables and chairs, pop-up patios, tents, and—as needed—barriers to vehicular traffic.
- Pop-up parklets, beer gardens, pocket parks, and improved community gathering spaces with a relationship (physical or programmatic) to local small businesses and economic development.
- Sidewalk retail solutions: tents, booths for point of sale, display cases, etc.
- Tactical urbanism techniques to reclaim roadways or parts of roadways (effectively widening sidewalks) for pedestrian and/or bicycle traffic.
Funding Information
- Implementation Grants: MassDevelopment will award individual grants of between $5,000 and $50,000 for the implementation of locally-led placemaking projects
- Seed Grants: MassDevelopment will award individual grants of between $2,500 – $15,000 to projects within this funding category.
Eligibility Criteria
- Grant funds for projects providing benefits to communities will be available to nonprofit organizations, and community groups, as well as to for-profit organizations under certain circumstances. Community projects that provide benefits to the private sector must benefit two or more unaffiliated private businesses.
- Projects must be sited within “eligible communities,” defined as municipalities with a Median Household Income (MHHI) equal to or below 120% of the statewide MHHI.
- Strong preference will be given to projects sited within downtowns or commercial districts. In rural communities or other communities without a significant commercial corridor, the project must demonstrate a direct relationship to local economic development.
- Projects may be located in either the public realm or on private commercial property. Projects located on private property must demonstrate a clear public economic benefit.
For more information, visit Commonwealth Places.
