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Worcester looks to increase to coronavirus business grant program to $1.8M

The City of Worcester is looking to add $300,000 to its Small Business Resiliency Grant program on top of the $1.5 million it has already given out to businesses impacted by the coronavirus, City Manager Edward Augustus said during a press conference on Wednesday.

“We are looking at providing additional funding so we can reach more small businesses,” Augustus said.

To date, the city has approved $1.5 million through the program, which received 290 applications and has so far approved 189, said Augustus.

Of those funded applications, 30% were from the food industry, 17% were from the salon/spa industry and 11% were in retail. Notably, 40% of approved applications were for women-owned businesses and 60% were minority-owned, he said.

The bulk of these businesses are very small, on average employing four people apiece, he said.

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Several other cities, including Marlborough and Framingham are reportedly looking to replicate the loan program.

The additional $300,000 toward the program would come from funding the city expects to receive under the federal $2-trillion CARES Act stimulus bill, according to Michael Vigneux, the city’s media relation specialist. Vigneux said the money is expected to arrive within the next two to three weeks.

– Digital Partners -

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