DEVENS, MA, September 8, 2026 – Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area is pleased to announce the launch of its Annual Partnership Grant Program on October 1, 2026. Designed to provide strategic investments in the natural, cultural, and historical resources that enhance the region’s sense of place, $100,000 has been set aside for this funding cycle.

Reimbursable matching grants of up to $5,000 are available to eligible non-profits, municipalities, state agencies, and public academic institutions. Applications are accepted, reviewed, and awarded on a rolling basis from October 1^para, 2026 through April 15, 2027, or until the allocated funds have been committed.

The Freedom’s Way Partnership Grant Program supports a variety of creative programs and projects, diverse in scale and scope, that align with the following

Freedom’s Way logo and Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire monument unveiling, 2026. A project funded in part by a Partnership Grant.

funding opportunities:

• Storytelling

• Education, Interpretation & Curation

• Community Planning & Resource Conservation

• Historic Preservation

• Regional Cultural Events

• Freedom’s Way 250

Prospective applicants are encouraged to arrange a time to discuss their program or project prior to the submission of an online application by sending an email to .

Since its inception, the Freedom’s Way Partnership Grant Program has awarded 270 grants totaling over $391,000 within the Heritage Area’s 45 communities. More than $4.9 million in cash and in-kind match has been generated, leveraging Heritage Partnership funds received through the National Park Service by 13:1.

For more information, including program guidelines, application materials, and past project descriptions, visit freedomsway.org/grants. 

BOSTON, MA [September 1, 2026] — Brick Marketing, a Boston digital marketing agency founded in 2005, will host a free webinar titled AI SEO: Get Your Brand Seen and Chosen Online on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The program lasts 60 minutes and is designed for business owners, marketing leaders, sales leaders, and communications professionals who want their companies to appear more often in traditional search results and answers produced by AI platforms.

Attendees do not need a technical background to benefit from the session. The program will translate AI search concepts into practical marketing actions that teams can apply to websites, content calendars, company profiles, media outreach, and sales materials. It will also clarify the difference between appearing in an AI response and earning a meaningful recommendation, with attention to the accuracy, consistency, and credibility of the information AI systems can find about a business online.

Registration and complete webinar information are available at:

https://www.brickmarketing.com/webinars

The webinar will explain how AI SEO, Generative Engine Optimization, and Answer Engine Optimization work together with established SEO and content marketing practices. Attendees will learn how platforms such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot interpret business information, assess authority, and decide which brands to mention when responding to questions.

“Being visible is no longer only about earning a strong position on a search results page,” said Nick Stamoulis, President of Brick Marketing. “Companies also need to make it easy for AI platforms to understand who they are, what they offer, who they serve, and why their expertise is credible. This webinar will give business and marketing leaders a clear framework for improving those signals so their brands have a better chance to be seen, cited, and chosen.”

Stamoulis and Katherine Tsoukalas, Brick Marketing’s Director of Marketing, will guide attendees through the foundations of AI search visibility. The discussion will cover how AI platforms crawl and interpret website content, how clear site structure supports machine understanding, and why consistent company information across websites, articles, profiles, and trusted third party sources matters.

The presenters will also address the role of content depth, topic alignment, entity recognition, structured data, citations, and brand messaging. Attendees will see why a company website must clearly communicate services, audiences, expertise, locations, and proof of experience. The session will connect these elements to practical decisions about service pages, educational resources, frequently asked questions, company background information, and thought leadership.

Another focus will be the continuing work required to support AI search performance. Brick Marketing will discuss brand citation audits, visibility monitoring, content reviews, and the refinement of authority signals over time. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of what to evaluate, which gaps may be limiting visibility, and how to prioritize improvements that serve both people and AI systems.

The webinar is especially relevant for organizations that already invest in SEO but are uncertain about how AI generated answers affect discovery and consideration. Rather than treating GEO as a separate marketing program, the presentation will show how it can complement technical SEO, content strategy, public relations, brand development, and reputation building.

Businesses seeking more information about Brick Marketing’s AI SEO, GEO, and AEO services can visit:

https://www.brickmarketing.com/aio-geo-search

The live webinar is free and will run for approximately one hour. Space is limited. People who cannot attend the live session may still register to receive access to the replay recording after the event.