The Maine Legislature established the Business Recovery and Resiliency Fund (BRRF) to provide grant opportunities to businesses and organizations, including nonprofit organizations, affected by the specified severe weather-related events.
Donor Name: Maine Department of Economic and Community Development
State: Maine
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 01/14/2025
Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000
Details:
The BRRF program provides grants to businesses and nonprofit organizations impacted by the December 18, 2023 storm, the January 10, 2024 storm or the January 13, 2024 storm for recovery, rebuilding and investments in more resilient infrastructure. Infrastructure project types may include infrastructure upgrades, improvements, or installation of drainage systems, moving electrical or business equipment, relocating the business to a more protected location within Maine and investing in additional insurance. The program is not intended to replace lost profits or revenue but rather to help businesses remain viable and resilient against future weather-related events. The top priority is to ensure that all businesses are reopened.
This round will be broken into two distinct groups:
- Businesses who were not recipients of an award from the first round of this grant program. This group will be prioritized and will be funded before moving on to the second group.
- Businesses who previously received funding from BRRF, but whose projects are eligible for additional funding, based on receipts and documentation.
Funding Information
Initial awards are expected to be capped at $100,000 with a minimum award of $2,500.
Allowable Expenses
Examples of allowable expenses include:
- Building and facility repair
- Trail and outdoor recreational infrastructure
- Moving electrical infrastructure (such as an electrical panel above the waterline) or moving business equipment
- Relocating the business to a more protected location within Maine
- Investing in additional insurance.
Eligibility Criteria
This competitive grant program is available to:
- Businesses and nonprofit organizations physically located in the State of Maine that were impacted by the storms on December 18, 2023, January 10, 2024, or the January 13, 2024
- Business entities and non-profit organizations except:
- 501(c)(4) (L3C and benefit corporation are eligible to apply)
- K-12 schools, including charter, public and private, institutions of higher education
- State government agencies
- Foundations and charitable trusts
- Trade associations
- Insurance trusts
- Scholarship funds and programs
- Gambling
- Adult Entertainment
- Membership based private clubs (i.e. private golf course)
- Cemetery trusts and associations
- Fraternal orders
- Hospitals and nursing facilities
- Residential Rental Properties
- Home based businesses and home offices
- No pier/dock infrastructure eligible for DMRs $25M appropriation from the 2024 supplemental budget (commercial pier/docks not covered by the DMR funding are allowed to apply)
- Organizations must have significant operations in Maine (i.e. business/organization headquartered in Maine, have a minimum of 50% of employees and contract employees based in Maine, etc.)
- Be current and in good standing with all Maine State payroll taxes, sales taxes, and state income taxes (as applicable) through June 30, 2024.
- Be in good standing with all state agencies, including Maine Department of Labor, Maine Secretary of State, Department of Health and Human Services, Maine Revenue Services, Department of Environmental Protection, and Department of Marine Resources.
- Not be in bankruptcy
- Not have permanently ceased all operations and intend to continue as a going concern.
- Must not be otherwise barred from receiving federal funds.
- Organizations with multiple affiliated locations across the State should submit a single application.
- Regional organizations can apply on behalf of partners (i.e. regional nonprofit on behalf multiple local snowmobile clubs).
For more information, visit MDECD.
