Cape Cod and Islands License Plate Grant funds awarded to eight local organizations

Jan 28, 2025

Funding to support regional economic development initiatives

Eight Cape Cod organizations have been awarded a total of $300,000 in Cape Cod and Islands License Plate Grant funds to support initiatives that advance regional economic diversity and sustainability. The Barnstable County Board of Regional Commissioners approved the awards on January 28, 2025, as recommended by the Barnstable County Economic Development Council (BCEDC).

The 2024 Cape Cod Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) envisions a strong and vibrant Cape Cod, with specific goals for housing attainability, community, infrastructure, natural resources, workforce development, and economic diversity and resiliency. The grant opportunity is intended to support projects that advance regional priorities and actions of the CEDS. The awards will aid projects across the spectrum of CEDS goals, bolstering existing initiatives, enabling new ones, and fostering a well-rounded approach to economic development and resiliency.

A total of $1,035,622 was requested from 18 applicants. The following eight proposals were awarded funding:

Association to Preserve Cape Cod
$70,000 - Native Plant Growers Cooperative of Cape Cod
To support the Native Plant Growers Cooperative of Cape Cod to ensure demand for native plants is met by local growers and help to support preservation of farmland on Cape Cod.

Housing Assistance Corporation
$70,000 - Rent 365
To support “Rent 365,” a program designed to increase year-round rental opportunities on Cape Cod by offering landlord education and increased incentives to encourage units to be rented year-round, including a small incentive to offset real estate tax for the landlords who participate for years two and three.

Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe
$70,000 - Broadband Expansion Project
To expand broadband infrastructure and support the Tribe’s efforts to become a sustainable internet service provider. The project aims to deliver fast, reliable, and affordable internet to non-tribal homes and businesses in alignment with the Tribe’s commitment to community connectivity.

Cape Cod Children’s Place
$20,000 Wellspring Project
To support the Wellspring project, which equips professionals with skills and evidence-based tools to address the complex needs of children and families, promoting a sustainable year-round workforce.

Arts Foundation of Cape Cod
$15,000 - Creative Exchange
To support the Creative Exchange Program, a personal and professional development program for all who work in the arts sector on the Cape and the Islands.

Cape Cod Community College
$25,000 - Equity Leaders Program
To support the Equity Leaders: Building Inclusive Workplaces on Cape Cod program, which will offer sector-specific Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice (DEISJ) and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) training.

Entrepreneurship for All
$15,000 - Business Accelerator Program
To support EforAll’s 2025 Spring and Fall business accelerators, which provide aspiring entrepreneurs with business education, dedicated mentorship, and cash prizes to turn their ideas into local ventures.

Love Live Local
$15,000 - Retail Incubator & Boost Your Brand Workshops
To support the Retail Incubator and Boost Your Brand Programs, which provide affordable retail space, support, and training to entrepreneurs and small businesses, especially women-owned and BIPOC-owned businesses.

The BCEDC is charged with guiding economic development policy in a manner that will improve the quality of life for all, foster a healthy economy offering a range of employment opportunities at livable wages for year-round residents, and protect the region’s natural and built assets today and in the future. They are responsible for, in part, advising on development and implementation of the CEDS and allocation of funds from the License Plate Grant program.

To learn more about the Cape Cod and Islands License Plate Grant program, please visit www.capecodcommission.org/licenseplate.