As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on small businesses in Harvard Square, many have found themselves relying on supportive patrons and financial support from the state government to stay afloat.
Square businesses were able to apply for government funding through the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation in January. The $668 million small business package â which Governor Charlie D. Baker â79 announced in late December 2020 â prioritized women- and minority-owned- businesses.
Massachusetts Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Michael J. âMikeâ Kennealy wrote in an email that small businesses make up a âfundamental componentâ of the Massachusetts economy.
âAs the largest program of its kind in the country, these grants are vital to supporting small businesses â especially those in communities and neighborhoods that have been hit the hardest by COVID-19,â he wrote.
Support Black-owned restaurants: Get takeout
Are you in the mood for island flavors, healthy smoothies, pizza and chill, or date-night romance? Hereâs where to go.
By Devra First Globe Staff,Updated February 17, 2021, 10:25 a.m.
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This month marks the fourth annual Boston Black Restaurant Challenge, which sets diners the enjoyable goal of patronizing one Black-owned restaurant each week. The community and its independent restaurants need support now more than ever, in February and beyond. More than 20 percent of Massachusetts restaurants that closed at the beginning of the pandemic have not reopened. And Black-owned restaurants didnât enter the COVID era on equal footing, facing factors such as disinvestment in communities, lack of access to capital, a wealth gap that means smaller savings, and challenges accessing PPP funds. According to a study from the National Bureau of Economic Research, Black-owned businesses declined in the United States by about