Two Cape Cod Groups Get State Money for Job Creation Efforts

EASTHAM – The Community Development Partnership and Women’s Empowerment Through Cape Area Networking have received $100,000 in small business assistance grant funding from the state.

The funding is through the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation, a quasi-public corporation of the Commonwealth that saves and creates jobs at small businesses, including ones owned by women, immigrants, veterans and minorities, by providing financial services and managerial assistance.

The MGCC also promotes economic development through the state, focusing on Gateway Cities and low-to-moderate income communities.

The grant funding will support CDP’s lending, training, and technical assistance programs for small businesses on the Lower Cape with a focus on business owners with low-to-moderate incomes.

The funds, specifically, enable the CDP to provide micro-loans of up to $40,000, and offer workshops with individual training sessions with staff and SCORE mentors.

Ann Robinson, the chief program officer for CDP, said the funding is critical.

“It does pay for the staff time to provide the counseling that we give to our clients so that they can better succeed in their businesses,” Robinson said.

“If it weren’t for this kind of funding we really wouldn’t be able to offer this sort of assistance to small businesses.”

The grant funding will also support WE CAN’s legal consultation resources for businesses and the expansion of its GROW program.

The GROW Program empowers women with tools, accountability, peer connection, and an experienced facilitator to help grow their businesses.

A quarter of the grant funding, or $25,000, will support a new collaborative initiative from the two organizations targeted to low-to-moderate income women entrepreneurs.

The collaboration will expand WE CAN’s GROW program and legal assistance program to small business owners on the Outer Cape.

“It’s going to be able to provide a program that will last six months for a group of about half a dozen women, as well as legal consultations for as many as a dozen or so other women,” Robinson said. “It really does have quite an impact.”

WE CAN Executive Director Lisa Guyon said the organization is excited to work with the CDP to provide support and resources to early stages women-led businesses.