By Chris Jensen,
InDepthNH.org

When it comes to getting financial help, what towns and businesses in the North Country don’t know can hurt them.

Sometimes officials are so busy they’re just not aware that there are grants to help with projects or to expand a business, said Michelle Moren-Grey, the economic development planner at The North Country Council.

“I think there is a lot of opportunity,” she said. “There is funding out there.”

Keeping track of those opportunities and matching them up with those who need help is Moren-Grey’s job at the regional planning organization in Littleton.

Those needs can range from water and sewer improvements to trying to rebuild Main Street, she said.

“We can easily make those connections even for a business that is looking to expand. We can at least head them in the right direction because there is funding out there,” she said.

Moren-Grey said some of the organizations with which she works are:

United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development.

The Northern Border Regional Commission, although its future funding is unclear.

The Community Development Finance Authority.

The New Hampshire Technical Assistance Grants Program.

The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.

Various private investment and foundation and corporate funding, corporate funding