Small Business Recovery Grant Program for Massachusetts

This grant is now closed. Please see the list of additional resources for small businesses below and read the stories of some of the businesses selected.

Please see our COVID-19 Resource List for additional resources in Massachusetts and links to information clearinghouses for small businesses.

The LISC Small Business Recovery Grant Program for Massachusetts will provide grants to hard-hit small businesses in Massachusetts to weather the immediate financial impact of closures and social distancing measures required to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

LISC will offer grants of up to $10,000 to address immediate financial peril, limit layoffs, avoid gaps in employee benefits or insurance, mitigate economic instability and increase the likelihood of business survival. Launched with seed funding provided by Citizens, the Small Business Recovery Grant Program is part of the LISC Rapid Relief & Resiliency Fund for Massachusetts.

Sign up to receive updates about the LISC Rapid Relief and Recovery Fund here. Find more resources for small businesses here.

Application Guides

• English
• Español (Spanish)
• Português (Brazilian Portuguese)
• Kriolu (Cabo Verdean Creole)
• 简体中文 (Simplified Chinese)
• Kreyòl ayisyen (Haitian Creole)
• Français (French)
• Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
• العربية (Arabic)

While the application link itself is in English, we have the application questions available as PDF guides in the language above.

To focus the grants where they will have the greatest impact, LISC will be inviting business support organizations, small business accelerators, and community networks across the state to encourage the at-risk small businesses in their communities to apply.

Who is eligible for this program?

This program is for small Massachusetts businesses experiencing emergency cash flow needs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Your business must have been in operation for a minimum of 2 years, and applicants must provide documents required (additional information about specific documents required will be shared soon).  LISC employees and businesses owned or managed by LISC employees are not eligible to apply.  Funding priority will be given to minority and women-owned businesses and small businesses that are the lifeblood of low-income communities throughout the Commonwealth.

Currently, grants are only available for for-profit businesses. We understand the critical need for funding for nonprofit organizations as well and we are advocating and actively fundraising for those resources to be made available soon.

What is the grant size?

Up to a maximum of $10,000.  Applicants will be asked to limit their request to the amount needed to manage immediate cash flow needs until longer term assistance can be accessed, to enable us to extend assistance to the maximum number of businesses.

For the press release, click here.

To sign up for updates, click here.

For more information, contact our team at LISCBostonApp@lisc.org or click here to sign up to receive updates. 

If you would like to donate to the fund, please contact Karen Kelleher Kkelleher@lisc.org.

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