Financial Programs

The Economic & Community Development Office offers assistance to local businesses through a wide range of financial programs including:

MicroLoan Fund - This fund is for businesses that have gross sales of less than $100,000 per year. The maximum loan provided by this fund is $5,000.

RLF Fund - This fund can provide for up to 50% of the money needed for a project, up to a maximum of $50,000.

We also work closely with a variety of state and local organizations including:


We also work with a number of local banks and credit unions. Click here for contact information for the banks and credit unions we have worked with in the past.

Tax Increment Financing (TIF)

Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is a state sanctioned economic development tool which allows municipalities to use all, or a portion of, the new property taxes that result from a commercial investment project within a designated district to assist in that project's financing.

Skowhegan currently has two TIFs in place at this time, one at the SAPPI mill and one in Downtown.

The SAPPI TIF was created in 2001. 65% of the Capture value is returned to SAPPI for reinvestment. The remaining 35% is used by the town for economic development.

The Downtown TIF was created in 2004. 100% of the Capture value is used by the town for improvements to the Downtown area.

Click here for more information on the Skowhegan TIFs.

Other Information

Below you will find a collection of useful documents and websites related to starting and/or operating a business in the area. For more information or assistance, you can contact the Economic and Community Development Office at (207) 474-6905.