State Pilot Program Targets Economic Recovery with Grants for Greater Haverhill, Lawrence

Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and Gov. Charlie Baker. (Photograph by Matt Stone/Boston Herald/Pool.)

Haverhill, Methuen, North Andover, Lawrence and other area communities are among those winning grants from a state Regional Pilot Project Program to support economic recovery.

Lead applicant Lawrence Partnership was awarded $250,000 from the Gov. Charlie Baker Administration, while Hispanic-American Institute received $175,000. Lawrence Partnership is targeting Lawrence, Andover, North Andover, Methuen, Haverhill and Boston to help at-risk food-based businesses increase their digital business capacities to survive the pandemic and become positioned for long-term success. Hispanic-American Institute, targeting Chelsea, Lynn, Salem, Haverhill, Springfield, Peabody, Revere, Lawrence, Taunton and Brockton, plans to assemble a diverse team to provide one-on-one counseling, workshops, trainings and an online portal for minority businesses that seek to restore or start new businesses.

The state program was designed to fund projects that “uniquely address local concerns.”  Applicants were asked to define a major issue associated with the economic recovery of a particular region and propose a solution.

Baker said, “These grants will empower recipients to leverage their own local expertise to tailor recovery strategies that support the unique needs of each region of Massachusetts.”

Lt. Governor Karyn Polito said $5 million was made available to help 37 cities, towns and non-profit organizations “develop and implement strategies to ensure a strong recovery from the impacts of the pandemic.”

Comments are closed.