Rockland Regional Microeconomic Grant Program

The Town of Rockland together with Abington, Avon, Holbrook, Hull, and Wareham announces the availability of COVID-19 relief grants of up to $10,000 to support microenterprise businesses in each of the communities.

Microenterprises are defined as businesses with five or fewer employees, one or more of whom is the business owner. Grants of up to $10,000 per business can be used to assist owners with costs such as rent, staffing, utilities, insurance, goods, and purchasing personal protective equipment.

Preliminary applications are now available in each municipality and are due by Monday, November 9, 2020, at 4:30 p.m. Applications meeting basic eligibility requirements will be placed in a lottery (by town) to establish waiting lists for assistance.

In order to qualify for the program, the owner(s) of the business must have a family income of no more than 80% of the median income for the geographic area in which they reside (not the geographic area in which the business is located). Owners must also show how the business has been negatively impacted by COVID-19.

The program cannot assist 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.

For more information and a preliminary application, visit www.rockland-ma.gov or visit the website of the municipality in which the business is located (www.abingtonma.gov, www.avon-ma.gov, www.holbrookma.gov, www.town.hull.ma.us, or www.wareham.ma.us).

This funding is provided through a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), using Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).