REDI: How Small Towns Get Big Projects Done

A Small but Mighty Program

Q: Most people know VHCB for housing and conservation. For those not familiar, what is the Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI)?

Mariah Noth: REDI is a small but mighty program at VHCB under the umbrella of Farm & Forest Viability. REDI was created by the Vermont Legislature in 2017 and housed at VHCB.

It was built to address a clear barrier: small, under-resourced communities in Vermont, along with agricultural and forest-based producers, often have incredible opportunities in front of them, including federal funding opportunities, but it is really complicated to access those funds.

The staff time, expertise, and skill sets needed to navigate those complex processes are hard to come by. The question was: what is the lever that can help Vermonters access these transformational sources of funding? A clear answer was additional capacity and professional expertise to support grant writing and the application process.

So in short, REDI works with towns of fewer than 5,000 people, working lands businesses, and community-based organizations across Vermont to help them access large, complex funding sources.

REDI as Part of a Broader Partnership Network

Q: How does REDI work with partners across Vermont?

Mariah Noth: The success of REDI is inextricably linked to the technical assistance partner network in Vermont. The network we have here is incredible. It’s a wonderful fabric of organizations with distinct expertise across different phases of a community development project.

We work closely with the Regional Development Corporations in Vermont, Regional Planning Commissions, Vermont Council on Rural Development, Preservation Trust of Vermont, Vermont Community Foundation, Vermont League of Cities and Towns, and others. We work closely with these partners to identify where REDI can help a project advance and access funding.

I like to define REDI as a tool that is most effective when leveraged at a specific point in time: when a project is developed and ready to seek significant funding. At an earlier stage, we often recommend working with one or more of our incredible partners that can offer wraparound project development support.

Built to Be Accessible

Q: What makes REDI different from a typical grant program?

Mariah Noth: What’s really special about REDI, like many resources in Vermont, is the people-centered focus and the effort to make resources as accessible as possible, recognizing that this program was created because grants are so hard to access.

We’ve intentionally designed REDI to be accessible and low-barrier. People can talk me through their project, and I can help them think through next steps, helpful resources, whether REDI is a fit, and how to access our funding. And while REDI functions like a small grant, we contract directly with the consultant for services, which simplifies the process and removes administrative burden from the people we serve.

Why Capacity Matters in Rural Vermont

Q: What becomes possible when rural communities have access to this kind of support?

Mariah Noth: Capacity is one of the most critical resources—and persistent challenges—for Vermont communities trying to realize their community development goals.

We have incredible folks in this state who are so passionate, have many skills, and want to see great things happen in their community, but these significant community development, infrastructure, and transformational economic development projects are simply very difficult and technical.

It is just too hard for community volunteers in a town of 2,000 people to shepherd a multi-year, multi-million dollar infrastructure and real estate development project to the finish line alone. We as a state, and as a community of service providers, have to wrap around these folks if we want to see these transformational projects be realized in a consistent way that doesn’t burn out our engaged community members.

And I tip my hat to all of the community volunteers who do this work, because many of these projects have come to fruition through countless hours of work. If we really want to move the needle on economic development, programs like REDI—and the strength of these partnerships coming together—are necessary to ensure small communities don’t get left behind.

A Vermont Grown Program

Q: Is REDI unique to Vermont?

Mariah Noth: It is pretty unique to Vermont. Other states may have technical assistance systems, but there aren’t many examples of this exact structure—where someone applies and is connected with the right technical assistance provider, at no cost, without needing to bring additional funding to the table.

When to Reach Out

Q: If a community has a project in mind, when should they reach out?

Mariah Noth: Folks can reach out to me at any time. It’s currently a rolling application process.

Another great thing about doing this work in Vermont is that we have an unofficial “no wrong door” policy. Even if they’re not quite a fit for my program right at this moment, I can be providing them with the right contact information, the next few steps, and a resource list. My colleagues at partner organizations are also fluent in the resources available and can do the same thing.

So that’s all to say: there’s no bad time to talk to me, or really any TA provider. It might not be time for REDI funding in that moment, but we can help brainstorm what resources could be a fit.

REDI helps rural communities do more than access grant support. It helps them tap into the technical assistance, partnerships, and capacity needed to move ambitious ideas forward, whether that means preserving a historic general store, modernizing a library, strengthening a working lands business, or rebuilding after disaster. For Vermont’s smallest towns and organizations, that support can make the difference between a project that stays on the wish list and one that gets done.