State awards downtown Attleboro business association $125,000

February 25, 2024 : The Sun Chronicle, George W. Rhodes

ATTLEBORO — The city’s downtown business association has been awarded a two-pronged state grant totaling $125,000 to help those affected by flooding and boost business.

The grant was among $1.625 million awarded by MassDevelopment to 13 organizations for small-business support programs in Gateway Cities that will fund projects such as storefront improvements, marketing campaigns and technical assistance.

The grants were awarded through MassDevelopment’s Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) program, which funds locally developed and managed small-business support programs tailored to the specific needs of individual communities.

The $125,000 grant to the Attleboro’s Downtown Business Association will support two sub-grant programs.

One program getting funding is the TDI District Flood Victims Grant that will assist businesses impacted by the Sept. 11, 2023, flood by covering expenses for physical costs not addressed by insurance.

The second program to receive funding is the Business Led Public Space Activation Grant, which will help businesses “implement collaborative projects that boost visitor engagement, business engagement, and ownership of the public realm,” according to the press release.

The TDI program is MassDevelopment’s signature economic development program for Gateway City downtowns and commercial districts. Attleboro is among the state’s Gateway cities.

TDI uses an accelerator model, committing resources for a defined period to real estate development, small business stability and growth, arts and cultural amenities and targeted technical assistance and planning.