MassDevelopment awards $4.5 million in grants to community and economic development organizations statewide

From MassDevelopment:

Boston — On Tuesday, March 3, MassDevelopment announced $4.5 million in grants from the Small Business Technical Assistance (SBTA) Program to help 55 community and economic development organizations that provide services to Massachusetts small businesses.

The grants, ranging from $40,000 to $104,000, will help the organizations expand advising, training, and capital access programs for businesses with fewer than 20 employees. Funding supports one-on-one technical assistance, business skills workshops, and improved pathways to financing, helping small and microbusinesses start, stabilize, and grow.

In addition, the program funds professional development for service providers through “train-the-trainer” opportunities, including workshops, peer learning, and partnerships with educational institutions. The Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations, an association of mission-driven community development organizations, will receive $65,000 in funding from the SBTA program to administer this professional development and capacity-building programming for business-serving organizations.

“Massachusetts’ competitiveness depends on the strength of our small businesses,” said Gov. Maura Healey. “These grants will help entrepreneurs access the expertise and financing pathways that turn ideas into growing companies and jobs across the state.”

“From Gateway Cities to rural towns, small businesses are driving innovation and opportunity in every corner of Massachusetts,” said Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll. “This funding will strengthen the nonprofit partners who help entrepreneurs build skills, access capital, and take the next step toward long-term growth.”

“Small businesses succeed when entrepreneurs have access to the right expertise and the capital to act on it,” said Economic Development Secretary Eric Paley, who serves as chair of MassDevelopment’s Board of Directors. “This program connects business owners with the training, technical support, and financing pathways that can make the difference between an idea and a growing company.”

“Massachusetts is fortunate to have a large ecosystem of organizations that provide high-touch, high-impact programming aimed at empowering and addressing the needs of small businesses,” said MassDevelopment President and CEO Navjeet Bal. “Grants from our Small Business Technical Assistance Program enable these organizations to deliver and improve their programming, helping small businesses meet their goals and succeed in our state.”

Administered by MassDevelopment on behalf of the Commonwealth, the Small Business Technical Assistance Program was created in 2006 by the former Mass Growth Capital Corporation to empower small business support organizations, such as community development corporations, community development financial institutions, and other nonprofit business service providers, to increase access to business-planning support and capital for underserved small businesses throughout the state. In fiscal year 2025, MassDevelopment awarded $6.7 million in grants from the Small Business Technical Assistance Program to 73 organizations; this funding helped grant recipients deliver assistance to 4,740 small businesses across Massachusetts and unlock a total of $117 million in capital to help these companies meet their goals.

“We’re grateful to MassDevelopment for supporting Nectar and strengthening our capacity to serve small business owners across Massachusetts,” said Nectar Community Investments Executive Director Glynn Lloyd. “As a CDFI, technical assistance is a major part of our efforts to provide businesses with the wraparound support they need to successfully access capital. This grant is key in bolstering that essential work and empowering the Commonwealth’s small businesses as they pursue their dreams.”

Berkshire County awarded projects:

• Berkshire Agricultural Ventures Inc. (Great Barrington) — $80,000
• Community Development Corporation South Berkshire Inc. (Great Barrington) — $40,000
• Assets for Artists Inc. (North Adams) — $80,000
• Berkshire Black Economic Council Inc. (Pittsfield) — $83,400
• Latinas413 Inc. (Pittsfield) — $40,000
• Pittsfield Economic Revitalization Corporation (Pittsfield) — $96,000