The Forest Economy Program is designed to support the forest-based economy, and to assist in the industry’s evolution to include new technologies and viable business models across the 4-state NBRC region.
Donor Name: Northern Border Regional Commission
State: Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont
County: Selected Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 08/29/2025
Size of the Grant: $500,000 to $1 million
Grant Duration: 3 Years
Details:
For those potential applicants familiar with the NBRC’s core Catalyst funding opportunity, the Forest Economy Program is distinct in two important ways:
- The Forest Economy Program emphasizes the potential to impact the forest-based economy across the entire NBRC region.
- Infrastructure projects (defined by Congress in NBRC’s authorizing language to be inclusive of transportation, water and wastewater, telecommunications, and energy) must directly support the forest industry.
Whether funded directly or through partnerships, funds will be awarded to support projects in the forest economy, which may include one (or multiple) of the following project priorities:
- Community development projects that support the diversified use of forests within the Northern Border Regional Commission’s service area for economic activity to include wood products and advanced materials manufacturing, as well as for other economic activity that utilizes northern border forests sustainably and demonstrates planning for climate resiliency.
- Workforce [re] training and development projects for the purpose of building the skills and recruiting and retaining the workforce needed for forest businesses.
- Business planning and technical assistance project.
- Marketing/communication and education work (must be paired with at least one other project category).
- Public infrastructure projects (defined by Congress in NBRC’s authorizing language to be inclusive of transportation, water and wastewater, telecommunications, and energy) must directly support the forest industry, and/or demonstrate the use of wood products in public infrastructure.
Funding Information
- An estimated $5 million may be made available.
- Forest Economy projects are eligible for an award up to $1,000,000.
Eligibility Criteria
- State governments of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York
- For 2025, the NBRC service area is:
- Maine: Androscoggin, Aroostook, Franklin, Hancock, Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, Oxford, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Somerset, Waldo, and Washington counties.
- New Hampshire: Belknap, Carroll, Cheshire, Coös, Grafton, Merrimack and Sullivan counties
- New York: Cayuga, Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Genesee, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Montgomery, Niagara, Oneida, Orleans, Oswego, Rensselaer, St. Lawrence, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Seneca, Sullivan, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Wyoming and Yates counties.
- Vermont: all counties within the State
- Local governments and secondary and career technical centers (village, town, city and county);
- Other political subdivisions of States (regional planning commissions, authorities of the state);
- Federally recognized Indian Tribes; § 200.54 Indian tribe. Indian tribe means any Indian tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community, including any Alaska Native village or regional or village corporation as defined in or established pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. Chapter 33), which is recognized as eligible for the special programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because of their status as Indians (25 U.S.C. 450b(e)).
- Non-profit entities. The term ‘nonprofit entity’ means any organization described in section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation under 501(a) of that Code. The non-profit entity must be able to demonstrate they have federal grant experience related to community and economic development.
- Institutions of Higher Education.
For more information, visit NBRC.
