A new $5 million grant program is aimed at supporting nonprofits helping small businesses and communities affected by the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.
The Greater Baltimore Commission and the Baltimore Community Foundation said they are accepting expressions of interest on an ongoing basis.
The reopening of the Port of Baltimore has allowed shipping to the area to resume, but many small businesses in the city and in Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties will continue to struggle until the bridge is rebuilt, the group said.
On March 26, a freight ship struck a bridge pier, causing the bridge to collapse, killing six road maintenance workers. The Maryland Department of Transportation plans to select a contractor for the new bridge by the end of the summer, but the new bridge isn’t expected to be completed before 2028.
Maryland Tough Baltimore Strong Key Bridges Small Business Assistance Grants are designed to stimulate economic growth through technical and operational assistance. Grants are not awarded directly to businesses, but to nonprofits working in impacted communities.
The GBC and other groups will consider making grants to the Community Foundation, which manages a charitable fund. The fund has provided aid to longshore workers and their families since the bridge collapse, but the need for help for small businesses has emerged, said Shaneisha M. Soles, president and CEO of the foundation.
Grant funding can be used for small business and entrepreneurial development programs, developing small business networks, supplementing existing small business improvement grant programs, and investing in physical improvements and marketing in business districts.
First published: August 21, 2024, 3:51 PM
