Author: Steve Lacy

NORTH CENTRAL NEW MEXICO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT

Message from Executive Director Monica Abeita
Hello Everyone,
As our members know, NCNMEDD is gearing up for competitive funding that will soon be announced through the American Rescue Plan Act. Our new Disaster Recovery Coordinator, Kenny Pin has been reaching out to identify priorities so he can better assist your communities to navigate funding. We will continue to provide updates on our Recovery Resources webpage and will schedule targeted webinars for our members as new information becomes available.
It’s spring and with this season always comes new beginnings. In addition to Kenny Pin, NCNMEDD recently hired a new Transportation Planner, Paul Sittig. Paul joins us after eight years with NMDOT and is already hard at work with our two Regional Transportation and Planning Organizations. We also welcome several new County Commissioners to our Board of Directors—Bret Wier of Colfax County, Sean Williams of Los Alamos County and AnJanette Brush of Taos County. I personally look forward to great contributions from our new staff and board members alike.
Best Regards,

Inside NCNMEDD

Celebrating Earth Month with $1.3 Million EDA Grant
This April we celebrate the earth with new projects and funding opportunities focused on maintaining and sustaining our lands. On April 8, EDA announced a $1.3 million grant to Rocky Mountain Youth Corps (RMYC) for construction on a new workforce development facility. RYMC works as a private nonprofit grant recipient of the national AmeriCorps initiative on land conservation in Taos, Bandelier/Los Alamos, Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Their work is critical to solving problems related to expansion of use for public lands, development of skills for future outdoor leaders, conservation, and restoration. The 5,000 square foot workforce development facility will house offices and classrooms to support Conservation, Drug and Alcohol Prevention, and Canine Leadership programs for youth and young adults in and around Taos.
Ben Thomas, RMYC’s Executive Director, said "This project will allow RMYC to expand our ability to support New Mexico's youth and young adults, [who] are all-too-often seen as one of the problems within our communities… RMYC sees youth as our next leaders -- change-agents -- and worth a substantial investment. This project will allow for that."
RMYC is currently recruiting youth and young adults ages 17-25 to join their summer program with open positions in Taos, Bandelier/Los Alamos, Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Applications are open on their website www.youthcorps.org.

Inside this Edition
April 2021
RYMC EDA Grant 1
Transportation Updates 2
Directed Recovery Resources 2
US Census Data Webinar 2
Mobility Workshop 2
Open Positions at NCNMEDD 3
Funding Opportunities-Loans 3
Funding Opportunities-Grants 4

Transportation Updates

Spring will be a busy time for transportation funding opportunities, and it looks like summer won’t be different!
New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) recently issued a call for Transportation Project Fund (TPF) applications, which were distributed to members of the Northern Pueblos and Northeast RTPOs by NCNMEDD staff on April 20, 2021. $121 million of state funds have been identified for expenditure in fiscal years 2021 through 2025 from HB 2, and the TPF will receive ongoing funding thanks to the passage of SB 20, which changed a portion of the distribution of the Motor Vehicle Excise Tax to go to the TPF, effective July 1, 2021. In this current call, NCNMEDD’s Community Development Director, Lesah Sedillo, and Transportation Planner, Paul Sittig, are collecting project feasibility forms (PFFs) by May 14, to be reviewed prior to rating and ranking by the Northern Pueblo and Northeast RTPOs. Ms. Sedillo and Mr. Sittig will submit the final packets to NMDOT on May 28, 2021.
The awarded transportation projects, including roadway, bridge, bicycle, pedestrian, and transit projects, will be funded with 95% state funding, with municipalities required to provide 5% match, though municipalities can also request a match waiver for financial hardship. Ms. Sedillo and Mr. Sittig are supporting tribal and local agencies in development of their applications. In addition to application support, Ms. Sedillo and Mr. Sittig will be working with the Northern Pueblos and Northeast RTPOs to rate and rank projects, and will submit the final applications.
Ms. Sedillo and Mr. Sittig will also be working with communities who wish to apply for federal funding through the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), Recreational Trails Program (RTP), and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program, which NMDOT is also managing. Calls for applications are expected to open in May, with application due dates expected for October 2021. Look for additional information on both current TPF call for applications, and the upcoming TAP, RTP and CMAQ call, on the RTPO NM resources webpage at https://www.rtponm.org/resources . Please contact Ms. Sedillo at lsedillo@ncnmedd.com or (505) 920-9257 or Mr. Sittig at pauls@ncnmedd.com or (505) 356-9694 if you have any questions.

Directed Recovery Resources

During our annual board meeting, we asked each of our members for their priorities relating to recovery and long-term economic goals. While details are still coming together for the American Rescue Plan (ARP), NCNMEDD has been working to gain as much information as possible so we can assist you to better align funding opportunities with regional goals. On April 8, we held an ARP webinar, for which the slides, recording, and fact sheets can be found at our recovery resource site.
Housing
NM Emergency Rental Assistance Program—Rental and utility assistance is available for unpaid, current or future payments for households who are obligated to pay rent on a residential dwelling.
Broadband
FCC Emergency Broadband Benefit —The Emergency Broadband Benefit helps households struggling to pay for internet service and hardware during the pandemic. This new benefit will provide a discount of up to $50 towards one month of broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase eligible computer hardware.
Consolidated Appropriations NTIA Grants—Three grants, regarding general broadband infrastructure, Tribal Connectivity, and Connecting Minority Communities to broadband, will be made available in the summer of 2021 from the National Telecommunications & Information Administration. For more information on the grants see the link above and to prepare on planning a community broadband roadmap see this presentation.
Food Security
SNAP and WIC—Both the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) have been expanded through the ARP with increases to registration and support programs.
Small Business Support
In addition to the small business grant and loan programs found on the next two pages, NCNMEDD can provide in-person small business support sessions. If you or anyone in your community is interested in hosting a small business basics training session please contact Tessah Latson (505) 401-3242 or Trish Abbin (505) 280-6502.

Join us for the following webinars:
Accessing Data from the US Census Bureau
Friday, April 30, 2021
10:00 am to 11:30 am
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84515822788
Password: 022322
New Mexico Mobility Economic Resilience and Substance Use Disorder Workshop:
Supporting Recovery and Economic Resilience
Thursday, May 6, 2021
1:00pm to 3:00pm
Register here:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYqcO2urDsjEtcIFcjp9T81_5aB5MQDOYTy

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Available Positions with NCNMEDD

Community Development Director
NCNMEDD is hiring for a community development director. See posting or contact Monica Abeita for more information.
NCNMEDD Development and Data VISTA
AmeriCorps VISTA members work on projects to assist in anti-poverty actions. NCNMEDD is hiring for a new VISTA member to assist with building out data systems for the region. See posting or contact Alison Turner for more information.

Funding Opportunities—Loans

During our recovery, loan products provide funding in various dollar amounts with low interest rates to help business owners buy PPE, keep workers on payroll and stay current on bills.

Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
Deadline: May 31, 2021
Four CDFIs are taking applications from New Mexico for the PPP program: Dreamspring, LiftFund, Clearinghouse, and RCAC. Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the updated program can be found here.
Employee Retention Tax Credit
Deadline: July 31, 2021
If your business did not receive or qualify for PPP you may qualify for the Employee Retention Tax Credit in order to support employee wages and related health insurance costs. The credit is taken against the employer's share of Social Security tax.
NCNMEDD Working Now Loan
The Working Now Revolving Loan Fund offers small, interest-deferred loans to pandemic-impacted businesses in the counties of Colfax, Los Alamos, Mora, Rio Arriba, San Miguel, Santa Fe and Taos. These are small loans of up to $10,000 aimed at businesses affected by the pandemic. If your business is in need of additional funding please contact Keith Flynn at (505) 356-9600.
NMFA Small Business Recovery Loan Fund
New Mexico owned businesses with net revenue of less than $5 million and decline in revenue or disruption due to the coronavirus pandemic are eligible to apply for loans for up to three times average monthly business expenses at a 1.625% interest rate. Applications will be accepted starting April 29.
Community Facilities Loan Program
The Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) offers short-term loans for early property acquisition and predevelopment, interim construction costs and long-term permanent financing up to $10,000. Nonprofit organizations, public agencies and tribal governments are eligible to apply. Contact Georgianne McConnell at (916) 917-4319 for more information.

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Funding Opportunities—Grants

Grant funding opportunities can help with future local government projects. As we receive more information about state and federal grant programs, our office will continue to keep information up to date. If you have questions about any of the below opportunities contact Alison Turner at (505) 716-5580.

RDC MicroGrants
Deadline: May 1, 2021
The Regional Development Corporation (RDC) is awarding grants from $500-2,000 to small businesses in need of funding to sustain operations, move to the next level, or hire additional staff.
NM Department of Tourism Cooperative Marketing and Advertising (CoOp) Program
Deadline: June 1, 2021
The New Mexico Department of Tourism's Cooperative Marketing and Advertising Program (CoOp) partners with non-profit organizations, local and tribal governments to build out tourism initiatives. The program application opens May 10. Visit the link above for information on how to compose a successful application and tourism plan now.
LEDA Recovery Grants Program
The LEDA Recovery Grants Program provides grants for rent, lease, and mortgage payments to eligible businesses that meet job creation and economic development requirements.
Economic Impact Disaster Loans
The EIDL program is still active and continues to deliver low interest federal loans to businesses. Additionally, as part of the targeted EIDL Advance program, SBA is providing additional forgiveness and loan amounts to small businesses located in low-income areas. See if your community qualifies using this map.
SBA Shuttered Venue Operators (SVO) Grant Program
Over $16 billion in grants is available to shuttered live operators, theaters, live performing arts spaces, museums, zoos, and eligible talent representatives. Grants are available for either 45% of 2019 gross earned revenue or $10 million, whichever is less.
Restaurant Revitalization Fund
This program will provide restaurants with funding equal to their pandemic-related revenue loss up to $10 million per business and no more than $5 million per physical location. Recipients are not required to repay the funding as long as funds are used for eligible uses no later than March 11, 2023. Reach out to your local SBA with questions.

Other Grant Finding Resources

The Grant Plant Inc. COVID-19 Emergency Grants
NM Grant Makers Association
GrantStation Database of COVID-19 Related Grant Opportunities
Covid-Cap online Database of recovery resources
State and Federal Grants Advisory

NCNMEDD
3900 Paseo Del Sol
Santa Fe, NM 87507
505-395-2668
ncnmedd.com

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