(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that over the last several months his administration has distributed a total of $5.9 million in emergency state funding to 278 small businesses and nonprofit organizations in western Connecticut to support their recovery from the August 18, 2024, historic rainfall and severe flooding event that devastated the region.
The funds were made available through a one-time, emergency state grant program Governor Lamont quickly established in the days following the storm with the goal of rapidly supporting impacted small businesses and nonprofits with their recovery expenses, including those associated with storm cleanup, replenishing lost inventory, and replacing damaged equipment. The program was overseen by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) and administered the WBDC, a nonprofit organization based in Fairfield County that supports business growth and job creation statewide.
Eligible organizations included those with fewer than 100 employees located in Fairfield County, Litchfield County, and New Haven County. Grant applications were accepted between September 3 and October 4, 2024, and the maximum grant amount was $25,000. The 278 organizations that received grants reported having a total of $38,253,051 in damages.
“We quickly established this emergency state program so that we could help these locally owned small businesses, which support thousands of jobs, rebuild and reopen as soon as possible, while supplementing any anticipated federal emergency assistance they could also be eligible to receive,” Governor Lamont said. “Most of the businesses that received these state grants have since reopened and I am glad that the state could stand by them to support their rapid recovery. I appreciate the WBDC for working with our administration to get these grants to those who needed them in a timely manner.”
“This state program did exactly what was intended, providing impacted businesses with a quick infusion of capital in the immediate aftermath of the devastating flooding,” DECD Commissioner Daniel O’Keefe said. “The grants gave these small businesses a lifeline when they needed it most and acted as a critical bridge to accessing the federal resources that came later in the recovery process. I want to extend a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to the WBDC for their professionalism and diligence in helping so many businesses in such a short time. Their partnership in this project has been invaluable.”
Grants distributed through this state program are separate from any funding released by the federal government to support storm recovery, including from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Many of the small businesses and nonprofits that received funding through this state grant program are also receiving additional assistance from FEMA and the SBA.
FEMA and the SBA are still accepting applications from businesses and nonprofits impacted by this storm. The deadline for them to apply for federal Individual Assistance is November 19, 2024.
Certain private nonprofit organizations are also eligible to apply for funding through FEMA’s Public Assistance Program. Through the Public Assistance Program, FEMA provides assistance for debris removal, emergency protective measures, and the restoration of disaster-damaged, publicly owned facilities and specific facilities of certain private nonprofit organizations, including houses of worship. The deadline to apply for federal Public Assistance is December 24, 2024.