Worcester Small Businesses Receive $1.5 Million Of Assistance

WORCESTER, MA — Small businesses in Worcester have been the recipients of nearly $1.5 million in resiliency grants that have been offered to the community, City Manager Edward M. Augustus announced Wednesday night. The city received 290 applications for the grants, 189 of which the city was able to fund as part of an effort to support small businesses as they continue to try to cope with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Augustus said that the city is looking into providing additional funding in order to assist more small businesses. Augustus said that 106 of the businesses that were the recipients of the grants received $10,000 while 83 more received $5,000. Augustus said that checks should be going out to small business owners sometime next week.

Most of the businesses that received grants have an average number of four employees. Of those businesses, 30 percent of them are food and beverage-related, 17 percent are hair, nail and salon businesses, 11 percent are retail establishments, eight percent are barbershops, eight percent are auto-related, 5 percent deal in fitness and health, 3 percent are daycares and two percent are cleaning businesses.

Additionally, 40 percent of the recipients are businesses owned by women and 60 percent are owned by minorities and people of color. Augustus said that city officials have also been working with neighboring communities to replicate the program.