Medford Awards First Round Of Small Business Grants

MEDFORD, MA — Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn and the Office of Community Development on Monday announced $370,000 in grants to 39 local businesses reopening after the coronavirus shutdown. A total of 57 Medford businesses applied for $530,000 in available grants, funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the city of Medford and the Massachusetts Attorney General's office.

In the first round of grants, 39 local businesses will be awarded a portion of the available funding; 18 additional applications are currently under review. The Office of Community Development plans to award additional rounds of funding to the remaining businesses once all required documentation is received. Applications were ranked based on criteria including, but not limited to, women-, veteran-, and minority-owned businesses, brick-and-mortar establishments, businesses who have not yet received financial aid from other sources and businesses that were required to close under COVID-19 emergency orders.

"I know that so many of our amazing local businesses, who contribute immensely to the fabric of the Medford community, are facing significant challenges in reopening and bringing their businesses and their workforce back online," Lungo-Koehn said in a statement. "We want to help support these businesses in any way we can, and I’m thrilled to be able to provide financial support to help get them back on their feet."

Funding will be used to cover expenses such as rent/mortgage, employee wages, inventory/materials/operating expenses and getting businesses established online.

"We are so proud and fortunate to be able to support our local businesses in this way, as well as provide other opportunities for businesses to thrive in the post-COVID-19 economy," Alicia Hunt, acting director of the Office of Community Development, said. "There has been overwhelming interest in this grant program, and so far we have not had to turn away any applicants. We're looking forward to continuing to review applications and continue to award grant funding."

In recent weeks, the city has worked to streamline the outdoor dining application process for restaurants by working with business owners to identify unique options on both public and private property, providing resources where possible and identifying locations where “"shared streets" models could be effective in increasing dining options. For additional information about resources available to local businesses, visit www.medfordma.org/covid-19-business-resources.