Technical Assistance Grants

Technical Assistance Grant Applications for 2023 are now OPEN, apply here!

How much funding is available?

  • Mini-grants of $500-$2,000

Who is eligible?

  • Owners looking to grow their Skowhegan-based business
  • New entrepreneurs planning to start a business in Skowhegan

What can funding be used for?

  • Technical assistance, including, but not limited to:
    • Hiring someone to help with business planning
    • Hiring a consultant or advisor
    • Marketing/logo/brand development
    • Website creation
    • Attending a course or mentoring opportunity
    • Hiring an architect, engineer, or other specialist
    • Buying a needed piece of machinery
    • Getting legal support
    • Other potential business needs, but not to hire employees

Application deadline: May 31, 2023

Thanks to our 2022 funding partners—Skowhegan Savings Bank, Franklin Savings Bank, New Dimensions FCU, Franklin-Somerset FCU, Bangor Savings Bank—we are pleased to offer $5,000 in funding to current Skowhegan business owners looking to grow or expand their business and new entrepreneurs in 2022!

“Small businesses are the cornerstone of Maine’s economy, so what Main Street Skowhegan is doing to help its local business community is outstanding and incredibly important,” said Bill Alfond, President of the Bill and Joan Alfond Foundation.
“We couldn’t be prouder to support such terrific leadership.”

The Bill & Joan Alfond Foundation supported the Main Street Skowhegan 2020 TA/COVID Relief Grant Program.

2021 Grant Recipient: Bouncing Bubbles Child Care

In 2021, Main Street Skowhegan awarded Bouncing Bubbles Child Care a TA grant to build outdoor play spaces necessary to become a certified Nature Classroom through Nature Explore.

 

 

 

 

Contribute to the Cause

Want to help Skowhegan businesses? Make a tax-deductible donation to our TA grant program fund! Use the link below or send a check to Main Street Skowhegan, 48 Court St., Skowhegan, ME 04976 with "TA Grant" on the memo line. Thank you!



Awarded Grants in 2022

  1. Brick House Kitchen, $1,000 – used toward a new energy-efficient freezer!
  2. Ken’s Restaurant, $1,000- used to purchase a steam table for their restaurant!
  3. River Roads Artisans Gallery, $750 – used for marketing expertise to grow their business!
  4. MXH Marketing, $600 – used to purchase a Canon Camera Stabilizer for videography work!
  5. Island Dairy Treat, $525 – used to purchase new road sign for their business!

Awarded Grants in 2021

Here's a partial list of grants awarded in 2021:

1. Bouncing Bubbles Child Care - to build outdoor play spaces necessary to become a certified Nature Classroom through Nature Explore

2. Bigelow Brewing - to help complete a traffic study in anticipation of their new home at 7 Island Avenue 

3. Fat Daddy’s BBQ - to help cover the cost of refrigeration, financial software, credit card hardware, and website technical assistance for their new food truck business

4. Launchpad Learning Center - to cover marketing and legal expenses for their new business venture

5. Maine Stitching Specialties - towards the purchase of a screen printing press

6. Stan’s French Fries - to help cover the cost of food truck repairs

7. The SPACE on the River - towards the purchase of an electronic scoreboard for the gymnasium

8. Trust in Us - to purchase and install a new sign

9. The Good Crust - towards the marketing and branding of Skowhegan as a pizza destination

10. Unwined - to help purchase a point-of-sale system

Awarded Grants in 2020

Bigelow Brewing Co.

"Thank you for your financial assistance that will allow Bigelow Brewing Company the ability to redesign our outdated website. This project is especially important now, more than ever, as we navigate our way through the new normal. As businesses are shuttered to customer traffic, relying on a virtual presence that will propel commerce is vital, especially for rural Maine communities."
-Jeff Powers, Bigelow Brewing Co.

Crooked Face Creamery

"The funds helped me secure additional freezer space that allowed me to store and retail more quantities of locally raised meats. As the local grocery stores were running out of many products, including meat, it was essential that I increased my inventory and storage space to meet the demand. Without the new freezer, I wouldn’t have been able to keep up. My heartfelt thanks to Main Street for supporting local businesses like my own."
-Amy Rowbottom, Crooked Face Creamery

TA grants are brought to you by Main Street Skowhegan's Business Enhancement Committee and our local funding partners.

Many thanks to our 2022 funding partners!

 

Many thanks to our 2021 funding partners!

Warren Shay

 

Many thanks to our 2020 funding partners!

Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture