Berkshire Organizations Awarded MassDevelopment Small Business Technical Assistance Grants
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — MassDevelopment announced $4,455,000 in grants from the Small Business Technical Assistance Program to help 55 community and economic development organizations that provide services to Massachusetts small businesses.
The grants, ranging from $40,000 to $104,000, will help the organizations expand advising, training, and capital access programs for businesses with fewer than 20 employees. Funding supports one-on-one technical assistance, business skills workshops, and improved pathways to financing, helping small and microbusinesses start, stabilize, and grow.
In Berkshire County:
- Berkshire Agricultural Ventures, Inc. (Great Barrington) – $80,000
- Community Development Corporation South Berkshire, Inc. (Great Barrington) – $40,000
- Assets for Artists Inc. (North Adams) – $80,000
- Berkshire Black Economic Council, Inc. (Pittsfield) – $83,400
- Latinas413, Inc. (Pittsfield) – $40,000
- Pittsfield Economic Revitalization Corporation (Pittsfield) – $96,000
In addition, the program funds professional development for service providers through "train-the-trainer" opportunities, including workshops, peer learning, and partnerships with educational institutions.
The Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations, an association of mission-driven community development organizations, will receive $65,000 in funding from the SBTA program to administer this professional development and capacity-building programming for business-serving organizations.
"Massachusetts' competitiveness depends on the strength of our small businesses," said Governor Maura Healey. "These grants will help entrepreneurs access the expertise and financing pathways that turn ideas into growing companies and jobs across the state."
Administered by MassDevelopment on behalf of the Commonwealth, the Small Business Technical Assistance Program was created in 2006 by the former Mass Growth Capital Corporation to empower small business support organizations, such as 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.
Last year, in Fiscal Year 2025, MassDevelopment awarded $6.7 million in grants from the Small Business Technical Assistance Program to 73 organizations; this funding helped grant recipients deliver assistance to 4,740 small businesses across Massachusetts and unlock a total of $116,948,899 in capital to help these companies meet their goals.
