Opportunity Appalachia has announced 33 projects seeking $187 million in financing while creating an anticipated 3,000 jobs. The primarily rural investment opportunities include downtown development, manufacturing, IT, healthcare, education, food systems, clean energy, and heritage tourism and recreation. All projects will be featured at the virtual Opportunity Appalachia Investor Convening on May 31-June 1, 2023.

Florida Community Loan Fund (FCLF) has finalized closing on New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) financing for Lotus Children's Village. FCLF provided $19 million in NMTC allocation for the new $32.1 million resource center in Miami's Overtown that will provide a wide range of services for area children, youth, and families.

Advocates say California's tax credits are more crucial now, as low-income families struggle to financially recover from the pandemic as other government relief programs end. For instance, in 2020, the federal government expanded its tax credits to send advanced monthly payments to low-income families with children and included very low-income earners. It helped cut child poverty, but the federal credit expansion ended in December 2021.

MassDevelopment has issued $151.7 million in tax-exempt bonds on behalf of affiliates of public housing authorities in Brookline, Cambridge, Framingham, and Medford, which will use bond proceeds to renovate and preserve 368 units of housing for families, seniors, individuals living with disabilities, and people experiencing chronic homelessness. Additionally, the bond proceeds will be used to create 46 new affordable apartments and upgrade common areas, facilities and infrastructure, safety systems, and landscapes.

The Whitefish City Council considered a plan that could help businesses and also looked at potential changes to the marijuana facility ordinance. Seth Lutter, Associate Director of the Montana Facility Finance Authority, gave a presentation to the council about a new financing option for businesses called Commercial Property Assessed Capital Enhancements, or C-PACE.

Regenerative agriculture consulting company Continuum Ag was among three winners of a low-interest loan from the Iowa Economic Development Authority, part of the agency's State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI). The business will receive a $250,000 loan, which Continuum Ag will use on development for the business's carbon intensity scoring software at Topsoil.ag, which helps farmers quantify their carbon footprint.

The Biden administration's efforts to revive U.S. manufacturing appear to be succeeding, with some business sectors plowing in almost 20 times the investment in new U.S. manufacturing projects versus only a few years ago. U.S. companies have committed over $200 billion to new manufacturing projects since the bills passed. The largest investment has been in clean tech and semiconductors.

There's a renewed push at the State Capitol to create Minnesota's first "green bank," which proponents say would maximize public dollars to lower greenhouse gas emissions in disadvantaged communities. The proposed green bank, called the Minnesota Climate Innovation Finance Authority, would create a public-private partnership structured as a nonprofit with a publicly appointed board.

A waterfront site is going from contaminant to a logistics park. Officials broke ground on a remediated brownfield site that will eventually host a high-capacity storage and distribution center. The project, BridgePort II, is located near Route 95 and the Outerbridge Crossing at 1160 State St., the former site of American Smelting and Refining Co.

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