CPA FY2027 Grant Information and Application

Eligibility Review

The first step in the process is the Eligibility Review. The purposes of this mandatory step are are twofold. One is to verify the eligibility of the proposed project for CPA funding. The other is to provide feedback on the proposal that can help strengthen the full application.  

1. Applicants submit the short Eligibility Review form (click here to download as an MS Word file) by November 30, 2025. The form asks for a brief summary of the project, the amount of funding requested, the applicable category as defined by CPA legislation, the major expenditure items, and how those expenditures correspond to the CPA’s allowable uses.

2. Individual applicants meet with three-member sub-groups of the CPC, sometime during the range of dates given above, to review application eligibility and provide guidance on creating a compelling application.  Contact the Town Manager’s office at 413-458-9341 to schedule.

The next step is the submission of the complete Grant Application (click here to download as an MS Word file) by January 9, 2026. The form  asks for:

1. Evidence that the minimum requirements have been satisfied: the project’s feasibility and readiness, timeline, management, and detailed budget.

2. A narrative giving the rationale for the project and its contribution to the community. The narrative should address the four key criteria the CPC will be considering in assessing the proposal’s “merit”: (i) What community needs are addressed by the project? (ii) Whether the project addresses any of the needs articulated in the Comprehensive Plan and/or the Open Space and Recreation Plan (iii) How widespread are the benefits likely to be? (iv) What specific communities or groups will it serve?

3. A statement addressing the “need” for CPA support, including a discussion of alternative funding sources, the “criticality” of CPA funding, etc.

Each applicant will have the opportunity to briefly address the CPC at an open meeting to highlight the most compelling features of the project, speak to the “merit” and “need” aspects, and respond to questions from the CPC members. Based on the information contained in the application and the oral presentation, each CPC member will fill out an evaluation scorecard (click here to see what it looks like) giving his or her assessment of the project’s merit and need.  

• The “overall merit” and “need” ratings from the CPC members’ scorecards will be tabulated and presented to the full Committee at a separate CPC meeting following the oral presentations. Committee members with potential conflicts of interest will not submit scorecards for the relevant proposals. Note that the ratings will not be used in a mechanical way to determine the award recommendations. Rather, the numerical scores are the starting point for a discussion of the applications’ strengths and weaknesses. If the discussion persuades one or more CPC members to significantly revise their scores, the CPC may opt to allow members to revise their ratings and schedule an additional meeting for making the final recommendations.

• The Committee will use the average scores, along with the considerations raised in the discussion, to assign projects to high, medium, and low categories of “merit” and “need.” Those rated as “high” on both dimensions are likely to receive recommendations for full awards, if sufficient funds are available. Those ranked lower on one or both dimensions are less likely to receive the full award; but since the “merit” scores are relative, the Committee may decide that a “low merit” proposal may be worth funding. (Click here for a detailed description of the process.)

The CPC’s funding recommendations will then be turned into Warrant Articles, one for each proposed project. The Finance Committee and Select Board will have opportunities to vote to endorse the Warrant Articles, but their votes are strictly advisory, and the Warrant Articles will go to Town Meeting regardless of the outcome. Passage of each Article requires a simple majority.