National Grid Awards $800K to Chambers of Commerce Across Massachusetts in Support of Small Businesses

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National Grid announced it will donate $800,000 to eight Chambers of Commerce in Massachusetts to support local small businesses.

Each chamber will receive $100,000, which they will then distribute in grants of $1,000 to small businesses with fewer than 150 employees.

This pledge follows a similar donation by National Grid in January 2023, when the company distributed $1 million to four small business organizations to help with energy bills. The Black Economic Council of Massachusetts (BECMA), the Retailers Association of Massachusetts (RAM), the Massachusetts Restaurant Association (MRA), and the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce each received $250,000 to then distribute to their small business members.

“After seeing the positive benefit our previous grant funding effort had on the small business community of Massachusetts, we decided to expand that reach by partnering with additional chambers of commerce,” said Stephen Woerner, President of National Grid, New England. “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, providing jobs and supporting the vibrancy of communities across Massachusetts. We’re pleased to be able to support those businesses that continue to need help as everyone continues to adjust to higher costs for basic goods and services.”

Chambers receiving the funds include: Cape Cod Chamber, Merrimack Valley Chamber, North Central Chamber of Leominster, Greater Northampton Chamber, North Shore Chamber, OneSouthCoast Chamber, South Shore Chamber, and Waltham Chamber.

“We have thousands of small businesses in our region for which these funds will help support efforts of growth and sustainability,” said Roy Nascimento, president and CEO, North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce. “National Grid is a strong community partner in our region, and we are grateful they identified our Chamber as a partner for this generous funding opportunity.”

This second round of funding comes as part of National Grid’s ongoing commitment to uplifting the well-being of small business owners and entrepreneurs in Massachusetts. Previously part of its Customer Savings Initiative, National Grid has expanded upon its “season of giving” with renewed customer assistance efforts. Since October 2022, National Grid has donated $3.8 million.

About National Grid
National Grid (NYSE: NGG) is an electricity, natural gas, and clean energy delivery company serving more than 20 million people through our networks in New York and Massachusetts. National Grid is focused on building a path to a more affordable, reliable clean energy future through our fossil-free vision. National Grid is transforming our electricity and natural gas networks with smarter, cleaner, and more resilient energy solutions to meet the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

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