WALTHAM, MA – National Grid today announced that 16 small businesses from across Massachusetts have been selected to receive the first $10,000 capacity building grants of a three-year Small Business Impact Initiative in partnership with Amplify Latinx, the Asian Business Empowerment Council, the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts, and the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce. Each organization, through a competitive application process, selected four small businesses to receive grant funding.
The Small Business Impact Initiative aims to empower and uplift minority-owned small businesses across the Commonwealth. Over the next three years this initiative will allocate $500,000 in grants to 50 deserving businesses, enabling them to thrive and grow. This funding will be used to support the growth of operational capacity – such as purchasing equipment, leasing office space, or improving efficiencies. The initiative is part of National Grid’s newly expanded philanthropic program called “Grid for Good.”
Each grant recipient, listed below, was celebrated this morning during an event at the Seaport Hotel Boston.
- The Centerpiece Flower Shop, West Roxbury & Roslindale
- American Vinegar Works LLC, Worcester
- Indigo Coffee Roasters, Inc, Northampton
- Tomo 360, Lowell
- Boston Cleaning Collective, Boston
- Havana Café, North Attleboro
- Mr. Tamole, Boston
- Imax Plumbing, Lynn
- Divine Lash Bar, Chelmsford
- Fort Hill Plumbing and Heating, Jamaica Plain
- Phin Coffee House, Boston
- Rosetta Languages, Malden
- Privé Parking, Roxbury
- New Chapter Home Improvement, Cambridge
- Strong Tree Engineering, Barnstable
- Royalty Construction Services L.L.C, Roxbury
National Grid recognizes the immense value that local, minority-owned businesses bring to communities across the state and the challenges they face. The company’s recently re-launched “Grid for Good” program strives to enable economic opportunity, especially for historically underrepresented communities. Through this partnership, grantees will not only receive funding but also resources and support from the partnering business organizations to realize their goals.
“From coffee roasters to plumbers to construction services, each small business showcases the skills and creativity that makes each community in Massachusetts unique,” said Melissa Lavinson, Head of Corporate Affairs, New England at National Grid. “These small businesses bring an outsized economic and cultural impact, and we are excited to facilitate these grants in collaboration with our partner organizations. We look forward to seeing the positive impacts the support of the grants will spur for these businesses and communities.”
“BECMA is excited to award four of our members with capacity-building capital ahead of the critical holiday season, ensuring these small Black-owned businesses can focus on sustaining and building their operations,” said Nicole Obi, President and CEO at the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts. “We look forward to tracking the growth and outcomes of this year’s grantees and providing similar funding to additional cohorts of firms as we continue this important three-year partnership with National Grid and our ally business affinity groups.”
“We are delighted to partner with National Grid, Amplify Latinx, BECMA, and the MA LGBTQ Chamber, to announce the awarding of four $10,000 grants to AAPI-owned businesses in Massachusetts,” said Qingjian (Q.J.) Shi, Director of the Asian Business Empowerment Council. “These grants signify our unwavering dedication to fostering the development and expansion of AAPI businesses, enabling them to leverage the funds to fuel innovation, enhance operations, and scale their businesses. Together, we look forward to witnessing the transformative impact these grants will have on the local business ecosystem, paving the way for a more vibrant and resilient entrepreneurial landscape in Massachusetts.”
“Each of these grant winners reflects the great tapestry of our state’s small business community,” said Grace Moreno, Executive Director of the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce. “The Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce was founded on the belief that when we can remove barriers and provide equal access to resources and support, businesses and communities will thrive. We are eager to see how these grant winners continue to grow their business and make an even greater impact for their customers and employees.”
“At Amplify LatinX we are thrilled to partner with our sister organizations and with National Grid to support the transformation of 16 MBEs across the Commonwealth this year. We look forward to our continued collaboration with the goal of moving forward our region’s economy,” said Eneida Román, President & CEO of Amplify Latinx.
Through Grid for Good, National Grid will contribute at least $4 million in funding to organizations that align with its three responsibility and impact pillars — (1) workforce development and STEM education, (2) economic opportunity and social justice, and (3) environmental stewardship and sustainability — and have a focus on historically underrepresented and overburdened communities.
About National Grid
National Grid (NYSE: NGG) is an electricity, natural gas, and clean energy delivery company serving more than 20 million people through our networks in New York and Massachusetts. National Grid is focused on building a smarter, stronger, cleaner energy future — transforming our networks with more reliable and resilient energy solutions to meet state climate goals and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
