New Business Recovery Grant Guidelines 

The following are in-depth guidelines about eligibility. If you have any questions, email BusinessRcovery@gpcog.org or call 207-774-9891 ext. 205. 

1. You must be a Maine small employer. Maine for-profit businesses and nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply. Out of state businesses are not eligible.
2. Your business must be located in one of the following municipalities:  Bridgton, Cape Elizabeth, Casco, Chebeague Island, Cumberland, Durham, Falmouth, Freeport, Frye Island, Gorham, Gray, Harrison, Long Island, Naples, New Gloucester, North Yarmouth, Portland, Pownal, Scarborough, Sebago, Standish, South Portland, Windham, Westbrook and Yarmouth. If your business is located elsewhere in Maine other organizations may be able to process your application. To connect with your region’s Economic Recovery Implementation Hub, email BizAwards.DECD@maine.gov and state the town/city where your business is located. You will be direct you to your region’s hub.
3. You must have fewer than 250 employees. 
4. You will need your business’s Federal Tax Identification Number, as well as a Federal Unique Identifier Number (UEI). Learn more about Tax ID numbers and UEI numbers.  A Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number is a unique 12-digit number assigned to each municipality for use in reporting their fiscal recovery funding on SAM.gov.  As of April 4, 2022, the federal government switched from the DUNS number to the UEI number. If you have an existing registered entity but do not know your UEI number, you will find your UEI number onSAM.gov. New entities will receive their UEI number when registering onSAM.gov.  If you need further assistance with locating or obtaining your UEI number, please email businessrecovery@gpcog.org.
5. You must have started or acquired your business in this timeframe: On or after January 1, 2020 and no later than May 11, 2023.
6. Your business must be able to demonstrate adverse economic effects as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This demonstration may include evidence of ongoing challenges that resulted from the pandemic. Your demonstration may included: 
   • Documented staffing-level changes
   • Industry-specific evidence of pandemic disruptions with reliable sources
   • Evidence of lost expected revenues, such as a cancelled contract and renegotiated sales
   • Documented financial projections and/or a business plan previously submitted to a financial institution as compared against actual financial performance
   • Other evidence that satisfactorily documents an adverse economic effect that qualifies for a grant under this program

7. If your business already received state or federal pandemic relief payments for the adverse economic impacts included in this application, you are not eligible for this program. This program is only available for grants related to adverse economic impacts that have not been the basis of relief payments under other state or federal pandemic relief programs. You will be asked to certify this to the federal government.
8. Grant amounts range between $5,000 and $20,000.
9. You will be asked to explain in detail how you intend to use any grant funding you receive.
10. Applications may be submitted starting Nov. 1, 2023. Applications close on Dec. 15, 2023. Click here to access the application form and for more information about the program.
11. Grants will be awarded in three segments: December 2023, March 2024, and June of 2024. Applicants who do not receive an award in the first or second round of funding remain eligible for future awards unless we notify you that your application does not qualify for this program.   
12. Grants will be scored against the following rubric: