Applications are now open for Main Street Initiative Partners in Planning Grant

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BISMARCK. – The North Dakota Department of Commerce today announced that the application window for round one of the 2022 Main Street Initiative (MSI) Partners in Planning (PiP) Grant will be open from Nov. 30 through Jan. 31, 2022.

Awards are expected to be announced May 15, 2022.

“Relatively new, the PiP Grant program was first introduced about a year ago,” Commerce Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Commissioner Shawn Kessel said. “Since its inception we have had over 20 communities actively use this program to plan their futures with smart and efficient infrastructure development to create a healthy and vibrant community for both residents and visitors.”

The MSI PiP Grant program supports nonprofit organizations and local governments with two grant options for completing a comprehensive plan or economic development/diversification strategic plan.

The comprehensive plan grant option is designed for local political subdivisions or nonprofit organizations applying on behalf of a local government. The purpose of the grant is to partially fund the creation of a new comprehensive plan or to update an existing plan that is more than five years old. The plan must address at least one of the three pillars of the Main Street Initiative: 21st century workforce; smart, efficient infrastructure; and healthy, vibrant communities.

The economic development/diversification grant option is intended for city, county, economic development organizations and local entities. The grant’s purpose is to partially fund the creation of a new economic development plan that empowers communities and political subdivisions to maintain a sense of place, become more resilient given economic challenges and opportunities, and can increase their overall community wellbeing. An economic development plan may specifically address economic recovery due to impacts of the 2019-2020 coronavirus pandemic. This grant option is also intended to partially fund a comprehensive update to an existing plan that is more than five years old.

For additional details about this grant program or other MSI resources, visit https://msnd.link/PiP

This article originally appeared on Devils Lake Journal: Applications open for Main Street Initiative Planning Grant