Bethel, Bridgeport, East Hartford and Enfield Selected for 2025 Main Street Accelerator Initiative

Teams from four Connecticut communities have been selected for Connecticut Main Street Center’s 2025 Main Street Accelerator Cohort.  Over the course of the 6-month virtual program, the teams will learn and practice the nationally proven Four Point Approach to Main Street Management and apply it to a specific challenge their community is facing.

The teams and their projects represent a diverse array of Connecticut towns and cities:  Bethel, Bridgeport, East Hartford and Enfield.  Main Street Accelerator is a professional development and team-building program centered on helping local teams execute small-scale projects that will make incremental positive change to their downtown.

During the program, participants will learn and practice the nationally proven Four Point Approach to Main Street Management; strategies for sustainable and inclusive development; project management; community engagement; team management; program evaluation; and fundraising. The program includes self-paced curriculum, monthly virtual gatherings, group coaching calls, and assignments.

By the end of the Accelerator program, each team will have completed a project action plan, a one-page flyer marketing the project, a project budget, and the opportunity to receive grant funding to execute the project.

The  Main Street Accelerator program in the state will receive $25,000 from Webster Bank as part of a grant, according to its parent Connecticut Main Street Center.

“Webster Bank has supported CMSC’s efforts to add vibrancy to our downtowns for years,” said Michelle McCabe, CMSC’s Executive Director. “So, having them invest in the Main Street Accelerator program specifically is a generous extension of their commitment to main street. The banking community plays such an important role in village centers and downtowns everywhere by providing financial instruments for residents, property owners, and small businesses that make up a thriving main street.”

Launched in 2024, the Accelerator program trains local teams from communities across Connecticut to implement small-scale projects that make incremental positive change in their downtowns. Teams that successfully complete a six-month course are eligible for a grant up to $5,000 towards the completion of their project. The Webster Bank funds both support the Accelerator program and go towards those grants.

“The 2025 Cohort has put a lot of time and effort into learning how to work together, how to strategically plan for and execute their project, and how to build community support for it, so it’s really nice to see Webster Bank reinforce their efforts with this funding,” said Kristen Lopez, the Accelerator program’s senior director of programs.

The bank’s support of such programs is part of a strategy to create economic vitality where small businesses, families, and individuals can thrive, according to Marissa Weidner, chief corporate responsibility officer at Webster Bank.

“We’re proud to support CMSC’s Main Street Accelerator program where local teams can learn to create, measure, and maintain positive change,” she said.

After assessing a community’s strengths and needs, CMSC provides specific recommendations and resources to improve the downtown. The Accelerator program provides communities with an opportunity to focus on a specific recommendation or priority area identified through the Assessment.