Southborough’s Economic Development Committee was awarded $204,000 for grants to support local small businesses. (Really small businesses.) The grants can be used “working capital to cover business costs, such as rent, staffing, and utilities.”
The awards will be granted directly to “local micro-enterprises”. Those are defined as commercial enterprises with 5 employees or less (with some business types excluded). Qualifying businesses can apply for grant money of up to $10,000.
EDC’s Coordinator Marijke Munsiff estimates that about 25-30 Southborough based businesses meet the application criteria. According to the Town’s press release the following business types are excluded:
Real estate rentals/sales businesses, businesses owned by persons under age 18, businesses that are chains, liquor stores, weapons/firearms dealers, lobbyists or Cannabis-related businesses.
Applications aren’t available online just yet. But Munsiff is encouraging local small business owners to reach out to her now, to ensure they are on her distribution list when more details are available. (She noted that businesses that fit the bill are sometimes hardest to reach. So if you personally know someone, you may want to pass on the word.)
The award is part of approx $4.9M awarded to 23 regional communities that applied in a block grant. The EDC applied for $240K and was granted $204K.
Here are more details from the Town’s press release:
SOUTHBOROUGH AWARDED $204,000 IN GRANT MONEY FOR LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES
The Town of Southborough has been awarded a $204,000 grant to support local small businesses through the efforts of the Economic Development Committee (EDC).
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), made available by the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), is a federally funded program created to assist micro-enterprises with emergency needs during the COVID-19 crisis.
Southborough participated in a regional application with 23 communities in cooperation with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC).
“I applaud the MAPC and our EDC for their efforts to assist our small, local businesses in weathering this challenging economic environment,” said Marty Healey, the Chair of Southborough’s Board of Selectmen. “And I encourage our eligible businesses to take full advantage of this grant money.”. . .
“We are thrilled to be able to support these local small businesses who have been hardest hit by the pandemic and applaud the efforts of our EDC Coordinator Marijke Munsiff in getting us these resources”, stated John Wood, Acting Chair of the EDC.
An application will become available in the coming weeks including more details on eligibility. The Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation (MGCC) will be administering the application process and payment to businesses.
In the meantime, if you are a micro-enterprise and would like to apply, please contact Marijke Munsiff, EDC Coordinator at 508 446 7839 or mmunsiff@southboroughma.com for more information.
