Submitted by Haley Stafford
(February 6, 2024) — The application period for the Middlesex County Revitalization Commission’s (MCRC) 2024 Business Operating Grants Program will open online on March 1, 2024. The program, funded through the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, offers grants of up to $25,000 to qualified small businesses in Middlesex County.
This year’s application window — March 1, 2024 to March 31, 2024 — is for the second year of the five-year program that is designed to provide financial and technical assistance to business owners so that they continue business operations, and maintain – and grow – employment opportunities for Middlesex County residents.
Applicants are asked to consider how the requested funds will make a positive impact on the growth and development of their business or mitigate the negative impact of a hardship currently being experienced. The grant funding may be used for equipment and/or technology, leasehold improvements, and other fixed costs, including costs associated with supply chain disruption, increased employee travel time/mileage expenses, increased vendor costs, loss of income, additional marketing expenses.
Businesses that apply must be based in, and have operated in, a Middlesex County town for at least twenty-four months, have no more than fifty employees, and be in good standing with all municipal, state, and federal authorities. A full list of eligibility and application requirements can be found on the Commission’s website at https://mxcrc.org.
“We are so pleased to be able to extend the opportunity for our County’s small businesses to benefit from a Business Operating Grant,“ said MCRC Chair Ryan Curley, First Selectman of Portland, “Our Middlesex communities are built and sustained by small businesses, and these grants are designed to provide a boost to business owners, making a real impact on their business, its growth, and profitability.”
Virtual information sessions will be held for businesses interested in applying. For more information, please visit https://mxcrc.org.