Town of Braintree Applies for Community Development Block Grant to Assist Local Businesses Impacted by COVID-19

BRAINTREE — Mayor Charles C. Kokoros announces that the Town of Braintree has applied for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) meant to assist small businesses in town who have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

CDBG is a federally funded, competitive grant program designed to help small cities and towns meet a broad range of community development needs. This particular grant will assist eligible municipalities prepare for, respond to or prevent coronavirus ramifications.

If awarded, the funds, which were made available through the federal CARES Act of 2020, would be awarded to businesses in town for the payment of commercial rent (up to two months) of their business location. The maximum total grant award to any small business is $10,000 for two months of commercial rent (each month at $5,000 or lower).

The grant is assistance paid directly to the business landlord or property manager to cover rent or a mortgage payment that does not exceed $5,000/per month.

“After having spent decades as a small business owner in the community I am looking forward to being able to offer some relief to small business owners that have been impacted by COVID-19 if the Town is awarded the grant. By focusing on our local mom and pop businesses, this grant will be able to support their reopening and help bring back Braintree’s thriving small business community,” said Mayor Kokoros.

Only one small business per owner is eligible for submitting an application. Multiple applications from co-owners and/or others of a previously submitted application will not be awarded.

Preference will be given to applicants of small businesses who have not received either a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) or Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Small businesses in town would be eligible to apply for assistance through the grant if they meet the following criteria:

• They operate a brick and mortar location in the Town of Braintree. If a franchise, the parent company must be based in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 
• They have been unable to reopen until Phases 1-4 of the Massachusetts re-opening plan. 

• They employ fewer than five full-time employees and have been operational since at least February 2015 in Braintree. 
• They have less than $1 million in total revenue annually. 
• They can demonstrate at the time of application they are current on all state and local taxes.

 Residents and business owners may submit questions/comments to lsee@braintreema.gov.

###