Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll are rolling out Build for Mass, a $75 million revolving loan program aimed at giving cities and towns low-interest bridge financing for infrastructure, clean-energy and climate-resilience projects. State officials say the fund is designed to push local plans off the drawing board and into construction, without forcing communities to hike local taxes or fees.
The program will make up to $75 million in loans available to local governments for projects ranging from seawalls and neighborhood revitalization to battery storage and ground-source heat pump systems, according to the Eagle-Tribune. The administration announced the initiative in Boston at a Massachusetts Municipal Association gathering and pitched it as a way for towns to move quickly enough to lock in federal dollars.
Program structure and loan types
Build for Mass will be administered by MassDevelopment and structured as a revolving fund with two loan tracks: General Loans to bridge financing gaps on federally funded infrastructure projects, and Green Loans to front costs on clean-energy projects that qualify for federal Direct-Pay tax credits, according to iBerkshires. Officials pointed to battery energy storage and ground-source heat pumps as examples of qualifying green projects and said that as loans are repaid, the money will be recycled to support additional rounds of municipal investment over the next 20 years.
Funding and the legislative angle
According to the announcement, Build for Mass is initially capitalized with $50 million from the Commonwealth Federal Match and Debt Reduction Fund and $25 million from the Department of Energy Resources, a mix tied to legislation and budget moves the governor advanced last year. Those efforts are part of a broader push to align state funding so communities can grab more federal climate and infrastructure dollars, according to bill S.2542 posted on malegislature.gov.
What’s next for towns
Officials said applications are expected to open later in 2026, with MassDevelopment handling underwriting and the application intake process, according to MassDevelopment. Municipal officials, planning boards and economic development staff are being urged to inventory shovel-ready projects that could benefit from bridge financing and to watch for upcoming program guidance and timelines, per iBerkshires.
