Appalachian Business Builders

The Allegany College of Maryland is seeking a contracted project manager/consultant to lead the Appalachian Business Builders initiative, a 12-month regional planning project focused on developing a framework for a sustainable community development financial institution (CDFI) to serve Allegany, Garrett, and Washington Counties. The selected contractor will provide planning leadership, stakeholder coordination, ecosystem analysis, facilitation, and final deliverable development. Key activities include ecosystem mapping, financing gap analysis, listening sessions, roundtables, governance planning, and development of a final CDFI business plan and implementation proposal. Some of the key responsibilities and deliverables of the project include: • Project planning and coordination • Ecosystem mapping and financing gap analysis • Stakeholder and community engagement • Governance and sustainability planning • Business plan and implementation proposal development • Reporting and documentation The project budget is $180,000, and proposals should demonstrate experience in community development finance, rural economic development, small business lending ecosystems, strategic planning, and stakeholder engagement.