Braintree secures $320K in Covid-19 relief for businesses of 1-5 employees

​The Braintree Chamber of Commerce is pleased to share good news for our community. Braintree business owners with five or fewer employees may be eligible to receive up to $10,000 in Covid-19 relief, thanks to a grant secured by the Town of Braintree.

The Town was recently awarded a $320,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for small businesses with 1–5 employees, known as microenterprises, that are Low-Moderate Income (LMI) and have been negatively impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
 
"Small businesses are always the first, and in many cases the only ones to donate to our local youth sports and many fundraisers in our community. They are always there for us, and during this time of need we must be there for them,” said Mayor Charles C. Kokoros in a statement.
 
“The Braintree Chamber of Commerce would like to thank the Town of Braintree and Mayor’s Office for making this grant possible,” said Kim Kroha, Esq., Chair of the Braintree Chamber of Commerce. “Receiving up to $10,000 in forgivable funds will make a big difference for eligible Braintree’s small businesses that have been hit hard by operating restrictions, changed customer patterns and increased costs.”
 
Here’s what you need to know about the grant ...
  
What is the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)?
CDBG is a federally funded, competitive grant program designed to help small cities and towns meet a broad range of community development needs. This program assists municipalities in preparing for, responding to or preventing Covid-19 ramifications. The grant funds were made available through the federal CARES Act of 2020. The maximum total grant award to any small business is $10,000.
  
How can CDBG funds be used?
Grant funds may be used for: 

• Rent
• Mortgage payments
• Staffing
• Utilities
• Personal protective equipment and costs for adapting to operations during the pandemic

How do business owners apply?
The grant pre-application and qualification criteria are available online at braintreema.gov/1141/Community-Development-Block-Grant

​The Town will award and disburse grants based upon eligibility criteria on a first-come, first-served basis until available funds are exhausted. If you meet the eligibility criteria, a representative from the Town will contact you via e-mail to complete a full application and submit the necessary back-up documentation.

 Who qualifies for CDBG funds?
Applicants in Braintree must meet the following criteria:

• Business must be a microenterprise (a commercial enterprise that has 5 or fewer employees, 1 or more of whom owns the enterprise).
• Business owner(s) must qualify under the Low-Moderate Income (LMI) Limited Clientele national objective criteria. All owners of the business must earn an annual income equal to or less than 80% of their Area Median Income (AMI) based on family size.

 
In addition, the small, locally owned enterprise must:

• Be a brick-and-mortar location in the Town of Braintree. If a franchise, the parent company must be based in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
• Be a for-profit business (sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporation, or LLC).
• Provide goods or services to multiple clients or customers.
• Be currently in operation and have been established prior to October 1, 2019, though priority will be given to businesses established prior to January 1, 2019.
• Demonstrate at the time of application it is current on all state and local taxes.
• Be able to document a loss of income greater or equal to the amount requested due to Covid-19. Example documentation: Personal or business tax returns, business financial statements, sales, year/year or quarter/quarter comparisons.

  
Who does not qualify for a CDBG grant?
The following business types are excluded and not eligible for the grant:

• real estate rentals/sales businesses
• businesses owned by persons under age 18
  
• businesses that are chains
• liquor store
  
• weapons/firearms dealers
• lobbyists
• cannabis-related businesses

If you have questions, please call the Mayor’s Office at 781-794-8100 or email [email protected].

Pre-Apply for the Grant