A Training Program for Community-Driven Development Solutions

Creating inclusive, strategic, and fundable plans that deliver tangible results for our communities.

Building Community Strength

How will rural communities respond when a developer proposes a large new housing development? How can we build capacity for solar without compromising prime soils and local food production? How can communities attract young families, or provide affordable housing for seasonal workers while some retirees want to live in a smaller home without losing their hometown? How does short term rentals and accessory dwelling units fit in economic development and housing plans? How can towns and cities prepare for flooding, drought, the more extreme cold or the heat? What can communities do to mitigate the losses that come with changes in traditional economic sectors?

Building Community Strength is a 3-year training program providing technical and financial assistance to ten rural communities across Maine ready to navigate these and related questions. Six training modules are delivered through three platforms.

Training Workshops

Joint workshops brings together trainees and trainers to learn from each-other, share resources and experiences, and solve common challenges.

Community Visits

Community visits is an opportunity to engage the community and set common goals in a neutral and facilitated structure.

A Learning Network

Ongoing learning is supported through online tools and resources + a dedicated members’ forum to ask questions and engage in discussion.

Training Modules

  • Planning 101: Inclusive and Equitable Community Development

    Meaningful planning processes create communities designed for all residents.

  • Housing Options for a Well-Rounded Community

    Workforce housing, ADUs, Short Term Rentals, housing options, affordability and beyond.

  • Farm Viability and Farmland Protection

    Ways to promote local agriculture and food systems in land use planning.

  • Economic Development

    Creating and maintaining a resilient local economy, good jobs, and a thriving town center.

  • Community Resilience

    Your community’s ability to mitigate and recover from shocks and disasters.

  • Funding Research and Grant-Writing

    Even the best laid plans … need funding for implementation.

Implementation Grants:  Municipalities can apply for grants of up to $5,000 to support the implementation of the plans they develop through their participation in the program. Applying for these grants will be part of the Funding Research and Grant-Writing Training.

Partners