News Flash

Town of Braintree CDBG Pre-Application Forms

1. Pre-Application Form 
2. Small Business COVID-19 Relief Program Pre-Application Guide 
3. Program Guidelines

Press Release 

Mayor Charles C. Kokoros is pleased to announce that the Town of Braintree has been awarded a $320,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for Braintree businesses that have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program provides short-term working capital assistance to enable the viability of the business during the severe economic interruption related to the pandemic. 

CDBG is a federally funded, competitive grant program designed to help small cities and towns meet a broad range of community development needs. This program assists municipalities in preparing for, responding to or preventing COVID-19 ramifications.

“Having three decades of small business experience, I understand the incredible strain that has been placed upon small businesses during this pandemic," Mayor Kokoros said. "Small businesses are always the first, and in many cases the only ones to donate to our local youth sports and many fundraisers in our community. They are always there for us and during this time of need we must be there for them."

Grant funds, which were made available through the federal CARES Act of 2020, may be used for rent, mortgage payments, staffing, utilities, personal protective equipment, and costs for adapting to operations during the pandemic. The maximum total grant award to any small business is $10,000.

“The Braintree Chamber of Commerce would like to thank the Town of Braintree and Mayor’s Office for making this grant possible,” said Kim Kroha, Esq., Chair of the Braintree Chamber of Commerce. Receiving up to $10,000 in forgivable funds will make a big difference for eligible Braintree’s small businesses that have been hit hard by operating restrictions, changed customer patterns and increased costs. We look forward to helping promote the grant and application process to Braintree businesses through Chamber lists, our website, and social media.”

Small businesses in town must meet the following criteria to be eligible to apply for assistance through the grant:

• Business must be a microenterprise (a commercial enterprise that has 5 or fewer employees, 1 or more of whom owns the enterprise).
• Business owner(s) must qualify under the Low-Moderate Income (LMI) Limited Clientele national objective criteria. All owners of the business must earn an annual income equal to or less than 80% of their Area Median Income (AMI) based on family size (see appendix A). 
• A small locally owned enterprise with a brick and mortar location in the Town of Braintree. If a franchise, the parent company must be based in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
• A small for-profit business (sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporation, or LLC)
• A small locally owned business that provides goods or services to multiple clients or customers.
• A small locally owned business must be currently in operation and have been established prior to October 1, 2019, though priority will be given to businesses established prior to January 1, 2019.
• A small locally owned business that can demonstrate at the time of application it is current on all state and local taxes.
• The business must be able to document a loss of income greater or equal to the amount requested due to COVID-19. Example documentation: Personal or business tax returns, business financial statements, sales, year/year quarter/quarter comparisons.

Not listed as one of the following excluded business types: 

• real estate rentals/sales businesses; 
• businesses owned by persons under age 18; 
• businesses that are chains; 
• liquor stores; 
• weapons/firearms dealers;
• lobbyists; or
• cannabis-related businesses.

The grant application is available online at braintreema.gov/cdbgrentrelief The Town will award and disburse grants based upon eligibility criteria on a first come, first served basis until available funds are exhausted. If you meet the eligibility criteria, a representative from the Town will contact you via e-mail to complete a full application and submit the necessary back up documentation. For more information, please call the Mayor’s Office at 781-794-8100 or email smallbusinessrelief@braintreema.gov.