Nonprofits land grants for small business support

NORTHAMPTON — After a four-month delay, the Healey administration has awarded grants to help nonprofits provide technical assistance to small businesses, but in smaller amounts than last year.

“We’re grateful to have that money,” Dave Christopolis, executive director of the Hilltown Community Development Corp., said of the organization’s $122,500 grant. “We’d have to suspend the program without it.”

The money comes through the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corp. (MGCC), a quasi-public economic development agency. Hilltown CDC uses it to pay consultants to provide technical assistance to small business in any area it’s needed, such as web design, marketing, or setting up financial systems.

“It’s the only program like it in the state,” he said. “We feel like it’s a good use of public money.”

Still, he said, this year’s award was 30% less than last year’s maximum grant of $175,000, which is what Hilltown CDC had received.

The reductions were across the board, with Valley CDC in Northampton receiving $70,000 compared to $100,000 last year, according to Executive Director Alexis Breiteneicher.

“It’s our primary source of funding for our small business program,” she said.

The organization has received Community Development Block Grant money through the city of Northampton, but the MGCC grant is more flexible in that it can be applied to the CDC’s entire territory, she said.

Breiteneicher said Valley CDC was surprised that the state’s final budget reduced funding for the grant program to $5 million, because the House, Senate and Gov. Maura Healey all included at least 50% more in their budgets, with the House putting $30 million toward it.

A spokeswoman for the Executive Office of Economic Development was unable to clarify the reasons for the reduced funding, and calls to the MGCC were not returned.

Christopolis said a colleague of his on Cape Cod had reported a 48% funding cut in his organization’s grant.

In addition, the grant awards usually are made in July.

“I’ve got a waiting list of at least a dozen businesses that have been kind enough to wait” for the grant awards to be announced, Christopolis said.

Half of Hilltown CDC’s grant will go to Berkshire County, since the South Berkshire CDC joined in the application.

Christopolis said it would be helpful to have some predictability in the program, with announcement of the next round of grants barely two months away.

Other area nonprofits receiving grants were Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture ($45,565), Nuestras Raices Inc. ($70,000), the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce ($122,500) and Franklin County CDC ($87,500).

James Pentland can be reached at jpentland@gazettenet.com.