STAMFORD, Conn. — On August 26, Governor Ned Lamont announced a $5 million state micro-grant program to help small businesses recover from the widespread flooding that occurred earlier in the month across western Connecticut. The governor selected the Women’s Business Development Council (WBDC) to administer the micro-grant program on behalf of the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), and applications are now being accepted from eligible small businesses and nonprofit organizations. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted.

The micro-grant program provides up to $25,000 in funding for small businesses and nonprofit organizations in Fairfield, Litchfield, and New Haven Counties* that have fewer than 100 employees and experienced damage from the floods. Grant recipients can use the funds to assist with their recovery efforts, including cleanup, lost inventory, and equipment replacement.

WBDC was selected by Governor Lamont to administer the program based on the organization’s 27-year history of supporting Connecticut’s small business community and its success in operating grant programs since 2020. In the last four years, WBDC has awarded more than $11 million in grant funding to 922 small businesses in every county across the state.

“We are honored to be chosen as a partner to the state in this critical effort to help our small businesses recover from the historic flooding in western Connecticut,” said WBDC CEO Fran Pastore. “I want to thank Governor Lamont and DECD Commissioner O’Keefe for their visionary leadership, responsiveness, and the trust they’ve placed in WBDC. We are fully committed to supporting our local entrepreneurs as they rebuild and recover from the impact of this devastating event.”

It is not the first time the state has tapped WBDC for grant program support. In 2020, WBDC partnered with the Office of Early Childhood to address Connecticut’s pandemic-related child care crisis by administering the Child Care Opportunity Fund as part of the WBDC Child Care Business Support Program. The program has provided 669 grants totaling $7.3 million to child care providers at every stage of business, from start-ups to those ready to expand.

Also in 2020, WBDC worked with DECD to establish the Ignite Grant Program (formerly known as the WBDC Equity Match Grant Program), which provides grants to qualified women-owned small businesses in Connecticut for clearly defined projects that will have a measurable impact on the business, its growth and profitability. To date, the program has provided grants totaling more than $3 million to 328 Connecticut women-owned businesses.

Businesses and organizations interested in applying for a flood recovery grant can do so through the WBDC website. The application period began September 3, 2024, and applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted. WBDC staff is available to answer questions and support applicants through the process; they can be reached by email at CT.Flood.Grants@ctwbdc.org.

Learn more about WBDC’s wide range of small business grant programs here.