Funds to Support Meaningful Community-Based Projects Across the State
CONCORD, N.H. – The New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA) announced today that it had awarded $8.5 million in Community Center Investment Program resources to New Hampshire nonprofits and municipalities advancing community-based projects. These funds allow for deeper impacts within New Hampshire communities with one-time, strategic investments in critical infrastructure. The program has provided a total of $20 million in resources to community centers across New Hampshire.
Community Center Investment Program resources supports the enhancement of current indoor and outdoor facilities, as well as the construction of new facilities, that have proven to be inclusive, open to the public, and foster a culture of health and wellbeing in the communities they serve.
“The investment of Community Center Investment Program resources will make important impacts within New Hampshire communities by creating meaningful places for local residents to come together and access essential services,” stated Katy Easterly Martey, Executive Director, CDFA. “There was a significant demand for these resources. Nonprofits and municipalities awarded funds demonstrated their projects have a strong community benefit and improve or create spaces that are incredibly important for the health and vibrancy of New Hampshire’s communities.”
Projects funded in the final round of awards for the Community Center Investment Program include:
- Town of Barrington: The Town of Barrington will leverage resources to renovate and expand its community center, which will be the keystone of a community campus with a focus on recreational, community services, civic, and social services. The community center will also provide support for collaboration and shared resources of the Recreation Department, Food Pantry, Community Action Partnership, Barrington Childcare Collaborative, Early Childhood Learning Center, and others. More than 40 new multigenerational programs will directly impact thousands of people in the community.
- Granite State Adaptive: Granite State Adaptive is focused on removing barriers for all ages and abilities to participate in cycling, equestrianism, snow sports, and hiking while providing mental, physical, and occupational counseling, as well as programs that promote civics, and leadership skill-building. The organization will leverage resources for the construction of a new facility that will serve 1,000 people annually and include onsite space for their clients to work with wellness providers and classrooms that will provide training space for program volunteers.
- Town of Greenfield: The Town of Greenfield will renovate its existing community center to create a year-round multigenerational space that will serve priority populations and numerous nonprofit organizations that serve the community. This community center is essential to a rich civic and cultural community life for all residents.
- Town of Hinsdale: The Town of Hinsdale will leverage resources to transform the Millstream Community Center into a new and vibrant space that will provide a renewed sense of place and community, leading to expansion of critical services and activities that cater to the diverse needs and interests of the community. The result will not only be a physical improvement, but also a social and emotional investment that benefits the entire community.
- Historic Harrisville, Inc.: Resources will transform an historic church in the heart of Harrisville into the St. Denis Community Center that will provide a central, walkable, and accessible place for the community to gather. The 4,800 square foot center will allow for a broad range of activities with a focus on community and recreation. Isolation and loneliness represent profound threats to health and well-being and are especially prevalent in rural communities.
- Littleton Community Center: The Littleton Community Center will undergo significant infrastructure updates so it can continue to meet the complex, multifaceted needs of the community, including serving local residents as a place for people to connect, learn, vote, celebrate, address public health concerns, and improve the community overall.
- MainStreet Warner, Inc.: Resources will promote food security and nutritional education for the greater community with renovations to the kitchen and meeting space at the MainStreet Warner Lodge. The updated facility will foster collaborations among the residents of Warner as well as allow for increased educational opportunities with the local school through the preservation of an historic building in the heart of town to its longstanding role as a place of community building and connection.
- Town of Marlborough: Resources for construction and renovation will help transform the Frost Free Library into a flexible, inclusive community center with dynamic programming, opportunities for building interpersonal relationships, and services for the community’s most vulnerable members. The creation of a community center in the heart of the town’s historic village center will strengthen the community’s social fabric, combat loneliness, foster civic engagement, and improve access to vital social services.
- Town of Newport: Resources will help construct a new community center that will offer a safe and inclusive environment for Newport residents to thrive and access a range of affordable programs that will bolster social interactions, civic engagement, and recreational use across diverse age groups and interests.
- City of Portsmouth: The City of Portsmouth will leverage resources to make critical upgrades to a 72,000 square foot centrally located building which is used by multiple nonprofits, including child care and after school programs that serve hundreds of families. Upgrades to the building security, technology, systems, and structure will ensure continuity of use and accessibility of programs at the community center including the addition of an inclusive, financially equitable, full-time after-school program run by the City of Portsmouth’s Recreation Department.
- The Grapevine Family & Community Resource Center: The organization will create a new permanent teen center as an addition to the existing Grapevine Family and Community Resource Center. This project is critical to the Town of Antrim and 18 surrounding communities as it will provide the opportunity for hundreds of teens to engage in programs that will help develop social and emotional well-being, creative expression, mental wellness, and career and life skills. Through a co-located space, family connections will be strengthened and there will be improved access to wrap-around and one-to-one support for teens and families.
The Governor and Executive Council approved the investment of federal American Rescue Plan Act State Fiscal Recovery Funds for the Community Center Investment Program which is being administered in coordination with the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery.
CDFA annually invests resources to support meaningful community economic development projects across New Hampshire and build strong communities. To learn more about CDFA, its impact on New Hampshire communities, and available funding resources, visit www.nhcdfa.org.
###
The Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA) is a statewide nonprofit public authority focused on maximizing the value and impact of community development, economic development, and clean energy initiatives throughout New Hampshire. The organization leverages a variety of financial and technical resources, including the competitive deployment of grant, loan, and equity programs. Those resources include New Hampshire state tax credits, federal Community Development Block Grant resources and the CDFA Clean Energy Fund. For more information about CDFA and its programs, visit www.nhcdfa.org or call 603-226-2170.
