Good News for Some South County Business Owners

Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) has announced the launch of two Community Development Block Grant CDBG CV Grant Programs to provide assistance to low to moderate income (LMI) microenterprise business owners in Berkshire County. One of these programs is exclusively for South County – including the Town of Sheffield.

The purpose of this program is to assist LMI microenterprise business owners prepare for, prevent and/or respond to the impacts of the coronavirus. Eligible applicants will receive assistance in the form of grants up to $10,000 to be used to cover business costs such as rent, staffing and utilities. “Microenterprise” is defined as a commercial enterprise that has five or fewer employees, one or more of whom owns the enterprise.

You can get complete details and an online or printable application for this grant program by going here or contact Patricia Mullins, 413-442-1521 x 17.

Applications are now being received by BRPC and will be accepted and reviewed on a first come, first eligible, first completed, rolling basis, subject to availability of funding.

These grants have been made available by the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (MA DHCD) utilizing funds received from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

About the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission

The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) seeks to enhance the regional resilience and quality of life in the Berkshires region of Massachusetts through a variety of initiatives and projects encompassing land use, transportation, economic development, environmental management, sustainable communities and public health. BRPC has been actively collaborating with 32 rural and urban communities since 1966 to deal with the regional challenges, opportunities and assets. Recommendations are crafted to strengthen the region’s built environment, natural landscape and environment, governance and economy. Per federal mandate, BRPC is responsible for major regional transportation planning programs and projects in our region, and is also responsible for regional review procedures as required by various federal and state programs.