Virginia Main Street

Educational Webinar In November, the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) welcomed Nicole Martorana, who has extensive experience in creating meaningful opportunities that connect people through cultural exploration and dialogue, to lead a panel discussion of leaders with experience in celebrating local foodways and shared culinary culture. If you missed the live webinar, … More CCV Series: November 2021 Recap & Additional Resources

Our guest blogger, Zachary Whitlow (pictured left), is a Community Revitalization Specialist at the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), working closely with the agency’s Virginia Main Street (VMS) program and Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI). He loves helping communities across Virginia unleash the power of small-scale, grassroots revitalization to build a sense of place and … More The Vibrancy of Farmville Can’t Be Overstated

Has your rural community / locality struggled to support economic growth and diversification, as well as offer opportunities for people to connect with the natural world? Sponsored by the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC), USDA Forest Service and EPA, the Recreation Economy for Rural Communities (RERC) planning assistance program helps communities identify strategies to grow … More Identifying Strategies to Grow Your Community’s Outdoor Recreation Economy and Revitalize Main Street

In July 2020, the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) began working to provide comprehensive capacity building services through the federal Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) to six recipient organizations located in rural and/or economically challenged regions of Virginia. The RCDI program seeks to increase a community’s readiness to undertake community and economic … More Martinsville’s Uptown Partnership Awarded $30,000 Rural Community Development Initiative Grant

The Community Business Launch (CBL) is a place-based entrepreneurial development strategy that fills a critical mass of vacant storefronts with expansion or start-up ventures. Local CBL programs train entrepreneurs, creatives and small business owners about business planning practices, and the training culminates in a group of finalists pitching their ideas to a panel of judges, … More Seven Communities Named 2022 Community Business Launch Grant Recipients

The Virginia Statewide Business District Resurgence Grant (VSBDRG) fund seeks to advance and accelerate the post-pandemic recovery of Virginia’s business and commercial districts. Specifically, these funs will support historically economically disadvantaged communities and other business districts that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Through expanding organizational and business support grants, funding is envisioned to … More 22 Communities Named 2022 Virginia Statewide Business District Resurgence Grant Recipients

The Industrial Revitalization Fund (IRF) leverages local and private resources to achieve market-driven redevelopment of vacant and deteriorated industrial and commercial properties. The program focuses on vacant non-residential structures whose poor condition creates physical and economic blight to the surrounding area in which the structure is located. The following communities were named 2022 IRF grant … More Four Communities Named 2022 Industrial Revitalization Fund Grant Recipients

The holiday season is quickly approaching, and it’s time to begin rallying your community around the small businesses that help make your downtown thrive! Encourage your community to Shop Small on Small Business Saturday by applying to be a Neighborhood Champion. Excitingly, Main Street America (MSA) has partnered alongside American Express to help communities support … More Become a Neighborhood Champion and Rally Your Community to Shop Small on Small Business Saturday

Educational Webinar In September, the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) welcomed Elgin Cleckley, Assistant Professor of Architecture at the University of Virginia (UVA) and designer, director, and principal of _mpathic design, a Design Thinking pedagogy, initiative, and professional practice focusing on intersections of identity, culture, history, memory, and place, to discuss the … More CCV Series: October 2021 Recap & Additional Resources

In addition to its credit enhancement program, the Virginia Small Business Financing Authority (VSBFA) now offers two direct lending programs: SWAM Microloans and Child Care Financing, with options for both commercial child care centers and at-home child care providers. The SWAM Microloan and Child Care Financing program for commercial child care centers both offer opportunities … More Virginia Small Business Financing Authority Direct Lending Programs Open