AUGUSTA — New Ventures Maine has been awarded $85,000 from national and regional organizations focused on supporting new and established small businesses in Maine and New England.
The objectives of the grants are to strengthen Maine small businesses and increase the financial security of business owners.
NVME is launching a “Building Resilience with Rural Entrepreneurs” project in western, northern, and Downeast Maine. The project will help rural entrepreneurs start up, rebuild or grow. NVME will work with entrepreneurs and partners to explore digital access for businesses, support economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, provide guidance in the form of resources, group work sessions, and small business planning classes
The Association for Enterprise Opportunity and GoDaddy provided a second year of funding to support small businesses in New England. The grant funding provides an opportunity for underserved entrepreneurs to learn about, assess, and create an online presence. “Grow your Business Online” will be offered beginning in January. As part of the program, entrepreneurs receive free products including a domain name, hosting, website builder, branded email, email marketing, and SEO for two years. Coaching sessions with GoDaddy experts and working/lab sessions are available to entrepreneurs as they develop or refresh their web based marketing.
Maine Community Foundation’s Downeast Innovation Fund awarded NVME’s North Central/Downeast Region funding to strengthen collaborative partnerships within the Downeast Entrepreneurial Ecosystem, Four Directions Development Corporation and Eastern Maine CA$H Coalition.
AARP Foundation awarded NVME funding for the fifth year to support low income older adults as they explore self-employment and develop businesses. NVME will use the money to market and deliver online training and individual coaching. “Work for Yourself@50+: Taking the Next Step” builds upon the exploration of self-employment and provides individualized assessment, coaching and business training to older entrepreneurs ready to implement their business ideas. NVME provides ongoing support, referrals and resources for “encore entrepreneurs” as they move forward to create successful and sustainable businesses.
New Ventures Maine is a statewide community economic development program of the University of Maine at Augusta/University of Maine System.
