Brainerd Receiving Funding for City Revitalization Projects

At their latest meeting, Brainerd’s Economic Development Authority discussed new funding from the Initiative Foundation to help revitalize the city.

The Main Street Revitalization Economic Program is a grant program provided by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) that offers funds to organizations around the state. The program gave funds to the Initiative Foundation, who in turn allocated $765,600 to Brainerd to go towards 33 projects involving housing, landscaping and streetscaping, small businesses, and child care.

“The Initiative Foundation made a request for over $8 million with the second round of funding to come out – they were rewarded $4.5 million,” said BLAEDC executive director Tyler Glynn. “With that, they allocated their funds throughout the region and provided funding to those areas that could identify a main street corridor.”

The funds will be used in the River to Rail Corridor initiative, a group of projects between the Mississippi River and the old Brainerd rail yards. The EDA approved subcommittee recommendations for where the funds will be allocated at the meeting.