MassDevelopment Awards $4.6 Million to Expand Advising, Training, and Capital Access Programs for Small Businesses

November 05, 2026

Kiara Ford, 978-844-1380
kford@massdevelopment.com

BOSTON – Today, MassDevelopment announced $4,610,000 in grants from the Small Business Technical Assistance Program to 42 community and economic development organizations that provide support services to small businesses in Massachusetts.

Awarded organizations will use the grants, ranging in size from $50,000 to $150,000, to expand advising, training, and capital access programs for businesses with fewer than 20 employees. The funding supports services such as one-on-one technical assistance, business skills workshops, and improved pathways to financing, helping small and microbusinesses start, stabilize, and grow.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy – creating jobs, supporting families and making our downtowns stronger,” said Governor Maura Healey. “We want Massachusetts to be the best place to start and grow a business, and that means making sure entrepreneurs have the tools and resources they need to succeed. This $4.6 million investment will help more small businesses access financing, build their skills and create opportunities in communities across our state.”

“From our Main Streets to our neighborhood businesses, small business owners are essential to strong, vibrant communities,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “We know that running a small business comes with challenges, and having the right support can make all the difference. These grants will help local organizations provide the hands-on assistance, training and access to capital that entrepreneurs need to grow and thrive.”

“Local business service providers dedicate themselves to helping small business entrepreneurs thrive throughout the Commonwealth,” said Economic Development Secretary Eric Paley, Chair of MassDevelopment’s Board of Directors. “These grants help providers reach more small businesses and offer practical support. Whether writing a business plan to preparing for a loan these providers help entrepreneurs get businesses off the ground and put an existing business on firmer footing.”

“Massachusetts has an important ecosystem of community and economic development organizations that help small businesses succeed through easily accessible, hands-on advising, training, and capital access programs,” said MassDevelopment President and CEO Navjeet Bal. “Our Small Business Technical Assistance program helps organizations expand this support to reach more small and microbusinesses, in every corner of the Commonwealth.”

Administered by MassDevelopment and funded by the Commonwealth, the Small Business Technical Assistance Program empowers community development corporations, community development financial institutions, and other nonprofit business service providers to increase access to business planning support and capital for underserved small businesses throughout the state. The Small Business Technical Assistance Program also funds professional development for service providers through capacity-building “train-the-trainer” opportunities, including workshops, peer learning, and partnerships with educational institutions.

Last year, in Fiscal Year 2026, MassDevelopment awarded about $4.4 million in grants from the Small Business Technical Assistance Program to 54 organizations; this funding helped awarded organizations deliver assistance to more than 3,300 small businesses across Massachusetts and unlock a total of $91,222,460 in capital to help these companies meet their goals.

Examples of Fiscal Year 2027 awarded projects include:

• $62,720 to The Carrot Project in Boston, which will use funds to equip agricultural business owners with capital, personalized support, and targeted financial management education.
• $150,000 to North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation in Fitchburg, which will use funds to deliver comprehensive, high-touch support through individualized business counseling and targeted workshop programming.
• $112,935 to The ICA Group in Northampton, which will use funds to support small businesses and worker cooperatives with one-on-one advising, cohort-based training, financial health coaching, governance support, and succession planning services.
• $73,205 to North Shore Community Development Coalition in Salem, which will use funds to provide entrepreneurs, including artists, with technical assistance, workforce development, and business promotion with the goal of generating revenue, improving business outcomes, and supporting job growth.
• $115,680 to South Eastern Economic Development Corporation in Taunton, which will use funds to offer a combination of one-on-one and cohort-based assistance and workshops for small businesses, in addition to providing gap financing when clients are unable to obtain assistance from traditional financial institutions.

“Small businesses are the backbone of North Central Massachusetts, and the owners we work with need more than access to capital,” said Roy Nascimento, President and CEO of the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation. “They need a trusted partner in their corner. Support from the Small Business Technical Assistance Program allows us to provide the one-on-one counseling and hands-on training that help new and existing entrepreneurs become loan-ready and take their next step with confidence. We're grateful to MassDevelopment and the Healey-Driscoll Administration for their continued investment in our region's small businesses.”

Full list of Fiscal Year 2027 awarded projects:

• Cape & Islands Community Development, Inc. d/b/a Coastal Community Capital (Barnstable) – $150,000
• Trustees of Tufts College / New Entry Sustainable Farming Project (Beverly) – $78,208
• African Community Economic Development of New England, Inc. (Boston) – $117,440
• Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston, Inc. (Boston) – $73,300
• Black Economic Council of Massachusetts (Boston) – $50,000
• Boston Center for Community Ownership, Inc (Boston) – $150,000
• Boston Impact Initiative Fund (Boston) – $150,000
• Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation (Boston) – $117,440
• Dorchester Bay Neighborhood Loan Fund (Boston) – $117,440
• Hispanic American Institute (Boston) – $73,205
• Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation (Boston) – $117,440
• Local Enterprise Assistance Fund (Boston) – $150,000
• MA LGBT Chamber of Commerce (Boston) – $112,935
• The Carrot Project (Boston) – $62,720
• TLE Center for Urban Entrepreneurship (Boston) – $117,440
• Uptima Entrepreneur Cooperative (Boston) – $77,500
• Veronica Robles Cultural Center (Boston) – $150,000
• La Colaborativa (Chelsea) – $103,208
• Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (Deerfield) – $68,000
• NewVue Communities (Fitchburg) – $93,816
• North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation (Fitchburg) – $150,000
• Berkshire Agricultural Ventures (Great Barrington) – $77,740
• Impact South County (formerly CDCSB) (Great Barrington) – $71,935
• Franklin County Community Development Corporation (Greenfield) – $150,000
• Merrimack Valley Economic Development Corporation (Haverhill) – $73,205
• Nuestras Raices, Inc. (Holyoke) – $116,340
• Nectar Community Investments (Lawrence) – $150,000
• Community Teamwork, Inc. (Lowell) – $150,000
• Community Economic Development Center of Southeastern Massachusetts, Inc. (New Bedford) – $115,680
• Cooperative Development Institute (Northampton) – $150,000
• The ICA Group (Northampton) – $112,935
• Valley Community Development (Northampton) – $150,000
• Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce (Northbridge) – $117,816
• Lower Cape Cod Community Development Corporation (Orleans) – $150,000
• North Shore Community Development Coalition, Inc. (Salem) – $73,205
• East Somerville Main Streets (Somerville) – $50,000
• Common Capital, Inc. (Springfield) – $116,340
• Latino Economic Development Corporation (Springfield) – $150,000
• South Eastern Economic Development Corporation (Taunton) – $115,680
• Quaboag Valley Community Development Corporation (Ware) – $87,816
• Cooperative Fund of the Northeast (Watertown) – $63,400
• Southeast Asian Coalition of Central Massachusetts, Inc. (SEACMA) (Worcester) – $87,816

MassDevelopment strengthens communities and advances economic opportunity across Massachusetts through financing, real estate services, and technical assistance. Working with businesses, nonprofits, developers, lenders, and municipalities, the agency financed or managed 538 projects in fiscal year 2026, generating more than $6.52 billion in investment, supporting an estimated 42,113 jobs, and helping create or preserve 4,355 housing units.