NORWOOD — General Manager Tony Mazzucco is pleased to announce that the Town of Norwood is continuing to assist more than a dozen businesses in town with COVID-19 relief funding through a federal grant program.
Late last year a total of $4,950,000 in grants were made available as part of the Microenterprise Assistance Grant Program to 23 cities and towns across the Metropolitan Boston Region that were adversely impacted by COVID-19. The funding was available through the Community Development Block Grant COVID-19 (CDBG-CV) program, appropriated through the federal CARES Act of 2020.
The Town of Norwood received $165,000 as part of the grant program, and nearly 85% of that funding ($140,250) was disseminated to 13 Norwood businesses. The remaining funding was used for administrative expenses.
Not all of the 23 area municipalities were able to expend their grant funding in full, and as part of the program the remaining grant funding was able to be pooled together and made available to businesses located within municipalities.
As of Wednesday, Sept. 22, a total of $913,488 remains in the pool, and Norwood businesses now have access to those funds.
All eligible businesses in town, including the 13 Norwood businesses that received grant funding last year, are now eligible to apply for up to a max of $25,000 in funding (up from the $10,000 limit that was in place last year). Businesses in town wishing to apply for the program may do so by clicking here. The deadline for applications is Friday, Nov. 5 at 5 p.m.
There are several eligibility criteria for businesses looking to apply for the grant, such as having a physical establishment in one of the 23 established cities or towns (of which Norwood is one), being a microenterprise (a commercial enterprise that has five or fewer full-time equivalent employees, one or more of whom owns the enterprise), being able to document a loss of income equal to or greater than requested assistance due to COVID-19, and more.
For a full list of eligibility criteria and more information about the grant process, click here.
Ineligible businesses for the program include 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.
“While many of us are starting to return to a normal way of life following a very difficult past few years, COVID-19 still remains in our community and we are still facing many challenges as a result,” General Manager Mazzucco said. “One of the areas hardest hit by the pandemic has been local businesses, and we will continue to do whatever we can to ensure our business owners have the tools they need to survive. These federal funds go a long way toward making that possible, and we encourage any eligible business in town to apply by the Sept. 25 deadline.”
The Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation is helping to administer and oversee the grant program.
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