Recovery Grant Opportunity

The State of Maine just launched the Maine Economic Recovery Grant Program through the ME Dept. of Economic Development. The ME Bureau of Agriculture has also tasked a staff member to help farmers prepare to apply for the program, which has a VERY short application period (August 21- September 9, 2020). Grants up to a maximum of $100,000 awarded based on losses due to COVID-19 between Jan 1-June 30. Applications will be filed entirely online (See links below).
Applicants are required to have a DUNS (Data Universal Number System) number in order to qualify, which requires 2-3 days to process – so start on this process today!
All Maine dairy farmers fit the economic criteria to apply.   Please let Julie-Marie Bickford know if you have questions, or contact Anne Trenholm with the ME Bureau of Ag for assistance with the application. All other information is listed below or is available through the links provided.
Are you a Maine business who:
  • Has 50 or fewer employees (at any time during the year),
  • Experienced a 20-percent loss,
  • And are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and related public health response?
Considering applying? Here are tips:  Don’t wait! Give yourself plenty of time. Get organized:
  1. First stop: get your DUNS number (if you don’t already have it): https://www.grants.gov/applicants/organization-registration/step-1-obtain-duns-number.html (this is a federal requirement; takes 2-3 days to receive)
  2. Gather your facts and info: accounting and tax documents—you’ll need them handy when you complete the online form to apply
*(If you don’t do your own bookkeeping and tax filing, you may need to talk to your accountant for help; give them a heads up.
*Reminder about taxes and business structures: you’ll be asked about your business structure—sole proprietor, LLC, (See IRS info here.)
  1. Lookup your NAICS code: Agriculture two-digit sector industry code is 11. On application, you should enter the more specific code (more digits) within agriculture. FMI, see: https://www.naics.com/code-search/?sictrms=farm and https://www.naics.com/six-digit-naics/?code=11
  2. The application is online—you can see what it looks like and review FAQs: https://www.maine.gov/decd/economic-recovery-grants/faq