Startup USA Guide
Part B · Startup-relevant scheme

Northern Border Regional Commission Grants (NBRC Grants)

Northern Border Regional Commission

Grant IdeationSeed / Early-Stage

NBRC, established by Congress in 2008, is a federal-state partnership funding infrastructure, workforce, and business-development projects in designated counties across its four-state region, including a dedicated Forest Economy Program.

Type of support
Grant
Best suited for
Ideation / Early-Stage (regional ecosystem)
Headline amount
Varies by grant program

Objectives

Modernize basic infrastructure and grow the workforce and economic base of a historically economically distressed four-state rural region.

Who can apply?

  • Grant applicants are state/local governments and nonprofits, not individual for-profit startups directly.
  • Project must be in an NBRC-eligible county in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, or New York.

What do you get?

  • Catalyst Program (flagship) invests roughly $44M/year.
  • Forest Economy Program offers $7M targeted at the region's forest-products sector.
  • A founder benefits by engaging with an NBRC-funded program in their county.

How to apply

Individual founders don't apply directly — check whether your county is NBRC-eligible and connect with your state's NBRC program contact.

Go to official portal