COVID-19 Adaptation Fund Announced

Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, in partnership with the office of Senator Adam Hinds, announced on Monday the availability of grant funds through the Berkshire County COVID-19 Adaptation Fund. Grants through this program will help businesses and organizations with up to twenty-five employees address expenses incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a media release from the BRPC, applicants may use funds to cover a range of eligible expenses including the purchase of PPE and other COVID adaptation supplies, as well as general business expenses such as rent, utilities, payroll, or insurance. BRPC will begin accepting applications online on December 1^st.

This program will be available to both for-profit and non-profit small businesses in Berkshire County, with maximum grant awards ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 depending on number of employees. Preference will be given to applications from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) owned businesses.

We understand that this current public health and economic crisis has had an outsized impact on communities of color... We urge minority-owned businesses to apply for these funds and will look to issue awards as quickly as possible. ~ BRPC’s Executive Director, Thomas Matuszko

BRPC is currently also helping to administer two regional Community Development Block Grant programs specific to for-profit businesses with five or fewer employees with low-to-moderate income owners.

The fund will also consider applications of up to $15,000 from established non-profit organizations to support programs aimed at supporting individuals and groups of individuals impacted economically by COVID-19.

Organizations seeking to apply for programmatic support should contact Berkshire Regional Planning Commission directly by emailing Senior Planner Laura Brennan at lbrennan@berkshireplanning.org.

Program details, including additional information about eligible expenses, are available on the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission website at www.berkshireplanning.org.

Enter your number to get our free mobile app