Norwood Businesses Can Apply For COVID-19 Relief Money

NORWOOD, MA - General Manager Tony Mazzucco announced that the Town of Norwood is continuing to assist more than a dozen businesses in town with COVID-19 relief funding through a grant program.

Because not all of the 23 municipalities that received funding through the Microenterprise Assistance Grant Program were able to use their funding, the remaining money was pooled. This allows Norwood businesses a second shot to apply for funding, even if they are previous recipients.

Late last year a total of $4,950,000 in grants was 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.

As a part of this program, the Town of Norwood received $165,000. According to Mazzucco, nearly 85 percent of that funding totaling $140,250 was disseminated to 13 Norwood businesses. The remaining money went toward administrative expenses.

Now an opportunity exixts to apply for additional funding because not all of the 23 area municipalities were able to expend their grant funding in full. This allowed the remaining money to be pooled together and made available to businesses located within those cities and towns.

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 eligible to apply for up to a max of $25,000 in funding. This is 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 on this link. 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. The establishment must be considered a microenterprise, a business that has five or fewer full-time equivalent employees, one or more of whom owns it. This business must be in one of the 23 participating communities and be able to document a loss of income equal to or greater than the assistance applied for due to COVID-19. Other stipulations apply.

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,” 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 Nov. 5 deadline.”

The Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation is helping to administer and oversee the grant program.