Three Maine towns receive entrepreneur, innovation development help

Aerial view of town with brick buildings surrounded by a river

Photo / Sam Honine Skowhegan is one of three towns that will get $70,000 in entrepreneur and innovation support through a National Main Street Center program.

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By Staff

Three Maine towns have been picked to participate in the national Community Entrepreneurship Program, which provides support to develop community networks fostering entrepreneurship and innovation.

Monson, Skowhegan and Lisbon will each get $70,000 in grants and training. They were chosen for the National Main Street Center program through a competitive application process managed by the Maine Community Foundation, in partnership with Maine Development Foundation’s Maine Downtown Center.

The National Main Street Center will provide the towns with workshops, training and local assessments to help build an environment for entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses, according to an MCF news release. Each town will also get a planning grant to begin the work, as well as implementation grants of up to $25,000 in both 2020 and 2021.

“Developing a community-based network to support entrepreneurship will help create and sustain an innovative environment in these communities and downtowns to attract innovators and makers to start and grow businesses,” said Anne Ball, program director of MDF’s Maine Downtown Center.

Maggie Drummund-Bahl, senior program officer at MCF said that strategies developed from the program can provide examples for other downtowns in Maine and across the country. “We are excited to get started," she said.

The National Main Street Center’s Main Street movement is a 40-year-old preservation-based approach to economic development. The Maine Downtown Center is a resource for downtown revitalization and is Maine’s statewide coordinator for the National Main Street Program.

Maine has 10 National Main Street Communities (nationally accredited with at least one full-time staff) and 18 Downtown Affiliate Communities (primarily all-volunteer). Of the communities participating in the program, Skowhegan is a Main Street Community and Lisbon is an affiliate program.

“The selection of Lisbon to be part of this program is a celebration of the positive change created in recent years by our local entrepreneurs and community champions,” said Brett Richardson, the town’s economic and community development director. “Local businesses are at the heart of Lisbon and a reflection of the resiliency and pride of its residents."

The pilot program is supported by Maine Community Foundation funding through its initiative to support innovation and entrepreneurship. The National Main Street Center is working in a handful of other communities around the country on similar efforts, according to the release.