CMSC Webinar: All About the CT Communities Challenge Grant

Webinar Summary

DECD’s competitive CT Communities Challenge Grant Program funds multiple projects in an effort to improve communities’ livability, vibrancy, convenience, and equity, while creating new jobs in the process. DECD’s goal is to allocate up to 50% of the funds to eligible and competitive projects in distressed municipalities and create approximately 3,000 new jobs.

In this webinar, we cover the ins -and-outs of the CT Communities Challenge Grant including:

Eligible uses for the funds
Tips for crafting a strong application
Application timeline & important milestone dates
Previous Community Challenge recipients

This is Round 3 (the final round) of CT Communities Challenge. DECD has approximately $20 million to award in this round with a deadline of May 3, 2023 at 3:00pm.

Presentation Highlights

Connecticut Main Street Center (CMSC) can provide its members with the following assistance:

Pre-Application

Recipients of these awards have projects that are “shovel ready”, so the community engagement component should be well on its way prior to application. CMSC can help with engagement strategies and tactics to make sure your downtown stakeholders have informed your application – and that the community is a true partner in the development of the project and the application.

Public Space Strategies

CT Communities Challenge focuses on mixed-use, mixed-income development and the State of CT is particularly committed to investing in residential development. CMSC can help a community think through how the vertical development projects are complemented by vibrant, lively, and equitable public spaces. This is a great opportunity to bring CMSC field services staff in to help think through public space strategies.

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