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Benchmarking study points to technical assistance, LOI screening and integrated capital as design priorities
Summary
Consultants and a longtime Vermont official told Maine’s Working Lands advisory board that Massachusetts, Michigan and Vermont programs emphasize technical assistance, letter‑of‑intent screening, integrated capital and clear evaluation metrics — lessons the Maine board may incorporate into fund rules and scoring.
Consultants from InCommon Group and Eric DeLuca presented a benchmarking review of working‑lands funds from Massachusetts, Michigan and Vermont at the April 30 Maine Working Lands Enterprise Advisory Board meeting. Ellen Koehler, executive director of the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund, described Vermont’s Working Lands Enterprise Fund and how its structure and processes inform grant outcomes.
Eric DeLuca said the benchmarking compared program design across each state and highlighted implementation features that influenced outcomes. He emphasized three recurring themes: treating food and forest sector development as economic development, prioritizing business technical assistance, and designing networked, integrated capital that combines grants, loans and other instruments. “The thing that’s gonna make the biggest difference is the business technical assistance,” DeLuca said during the presentation.
The benchmarking report flagged several practical design choices other states use. Massachusetts has moved from speed‑focused ARPA rapid deployment toward more deliberate scoring that includes social equity measures;…
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