Newsletter - September 21st, 2023

Welcome to Kansas Main Street's September 21st newsletter!

Read below for information about our upcoming training in Dodge City, new accreditation standards from Main Street America, the newly state-invested Build Kansas Fund, and more!

Next Quarterly Training!

October 16 in Dodge City

The last in-person quarterly training of 2023 is Monday, October 16 in Dodge City. This training is the day before most of the sessions for the state Tourism conference begins, so hopefully this training location and date will help with travel for those of you who will be attending the Tourism Conference.

The training will be presented by Brian Ostrovsky of Locable and will be very hands-on. Bring you laptop so you can follow along while Brian is presenting. Click HERE to register!

Agenda

Governor Kelly Announces Launch of $200M Build Kansas Fund to Accelerate Transformative Community Infrastructure Projects

The Build Kansas Matching Grant Fund (Build Kansas Fund) will provide matching dollars to eligible entities planning infrastructure projects in Kansas. The Build Kansas Fund must be used for grants with a match requirement under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

Find the press release HERE

Application is now live!

Build Kansas Fund

The Build Kansas Fund application is open! Eligible applicants are any entity identified by a federal BIL grant. This includes counties, cities, municipalities, federally recognized tribes, nonprofits, for-profits, institutions of higher education, etc. Learn more below!

Visit Website

Money Matters: Funding Sources for Community and Economic Development

In the ever-evolving landscape of community and economic development, securing adequate funding is paramount. Join us for a live webinar tailored to city officials, economic developers, and chambers of commerce – “Money Matters” is designed to empower community leaders with insights into diverse funding sources that drive transformative initiatives. This webinar is at 1 p.m. on September, 27.

Main Street Monday: New Accreditation Standards from Main Street America

Review the new Main Street America Accreditation Standards in the latest Main Street Monday video! Understand how your community can start evaluating itself against these benchmarks using the Community Self Assessment Tool (linked below) to identify your strengths and areas for growth.

In 2024, Kansas Main Street will work with with Designated Communities to address challenges and help everyone meet those new standards.

Click HERE to view the Main Street Monday video recording.

Click HERE for the Community Self Assessment Tool.

Kansas Main Street is Looking for

an Assistant Director!

Don't forget that applications are still being accepted for the position of Assistant Director of the Kansas Main Street program! This is a wonderful opportunity to be part of only a handful of professionals throughout the country that work with state programs to help communities improve their downtown commercial districts. If you--or someone you know--is interested, have them click THIS LINK to apply!

HEAL 4.0 is here!

HEAL 4.0 is now accepting applications! HEAL is a grant program that offers matching funds to support communities in revitalizing underutilized, vacant or deteriorated downtown buildings. Don't miss out on this amazing opportunity! Application deadline: November 10th. Plus, if you received funding in the first round, you are eligible to apply for this round.

Hint: If you apply by October 10th, the HEAL committee can meet with you to talk about your application before the final deadline. Get that application in!

HEAL Website

SEED Grant - Open until October 27

Get ready for another round of SEED grants! $275,000 has been made available to eligible communities.

Click HERE to learn more.