REGION – Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC), Bennington County Regional Commission (BCRC), and Windham Regional Commission (WRC) have opened the annual project submission process for southern Vermont’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) and Regional Priority Project (RPP) programs.
Organizations throughout Bennington County and the Windham region, which includes all Windham County towns and the Town of Weston, are invited to submit projects that are in alignment with regional economic and community development goals.
An informational webinar will be held on Wednesday, July 22, to explain both programs (CEDS and RPP), review submission requirements, and answer questions from prospective and returning applicants. To learn more, register for the webinar, or submit a project, visit www.sovermontzone.com/ceds-rpp-project-submission. Project submissions will be accepted through Sept. 18.
“The projects submitted through this process tell the story of where southern Vermont is headed,” said Adam Grinold, executive director of the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation. “Every year we see communities, businesses, nonprofits, and institutions bringing forward ideas that address housing, workforce, infrastructure, child care, health care, and economic opportunity. Our job is to help connect those projects to partners, funding opportunities, and the broader regional strategy that can help move them forward.”
The submission process serves two related but distinct purposes. The Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) is southern Vermont’s federally recognized economic development strategy and serves as the region’s implementation framework for economic development. The annual update tracks projects across Bennington and Windham counties, measures progress toward regional goals, and helps align local initiatives with state and federal funding opportunities. Over the past 15 years, the southern Vermont CEDS process has helped communities advance housing, infrastructure, business development, workforce, health care, and community investment projects across the region.
“In addition to helping us understand the landscape of community development, economic development, housing, and infrastructure projects in southern Vermont so we can aid in connecting projects to resources, the RPP process serves as a way of measuring the understanding and impact of the southern Vermont CEDS,” said BCRC executive director Bill Colvin. “This information is important as we work toward future iterations of the document and strive to keep it meaningful.”
Projects at all stages of development are encouraged for submission. Whether a project is in the concept phase, actively seeking funding, under construction, or recently completed, inclusion in the CEDS update helps create a more complete picture of economic development activity across southern Vermont.
Projects that are implementation-ready and seeking additional visibility may also be considered for the Regional Priority Project (RPP) process by completing supplemental questions within the same submission form.
Regional Priority Projects are part of a statewide initiative coordinated through Vermont’s Regional Development Corporations in partnership with the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development and the Northern Border Regional Commission. The RPP process highlights the top economic and community development projects in our region that are best positioned to attract state and federal funding.
In southern Vermont, all Regional Priority Projects are first submitted through the CEDS process, allowing applicants to complete a single form for both opportunities.
Organizations that submitted projects in previous years do not need to start from scratch. Previously submitted information can be updated and reused as part of the 2026 submission cycle.
Technical assistance, office hours, and proposer support will be available throughout the submission period.