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Gov. Mills announces Business Recovery & Resilience Grant for Friends of the Mountain
AUGUSTA – Gov. Janet Mills announced that her administration has awarded $5.8 million in Business Recovery & Resilience Grants to 109 Maine businesses and nonprofit organizations to help them recover from last winter’s devastating storms. Among the recipients is Friends of the Mountain in Big Moose Township, which will receive $19,192.
The grants announced are the first awarded from the $10 million Business Recovery and Resilience Fund, established as part of the $60 million in State funding that Gov. Mills and the Legislature approved through the supplemental budget in May — the single largest investment in storm recovery by any Administration in Maine history.
The Department of Economic and Community Development is awarding up to $100,000 to the businesses and organizations for design, permitting, and construction costs for projects that help them address the impacts of last winter’s storm and improve their resilience to future storms and changing climate conditions.
Businesses and organizations receiving funding span all 16 Maine counties and range from lobster processors to breweries to hotels. A full list of awardees is online.
“Last winter’s storms devastated businesses across Maine, but, with the support of the Legislature, we are taking action to help them recover and rebuild,” said Mills. “These important grants will help businesses rebuild in a more resilient way that improves their ability to withstand future storms, which will protect the jobs and livelihoods of Maine people and safeguard our economy from the destructive impacts of climate change in the long-run.”
“These awards represent an important investment in the businesses and organizations that drive our state,” said Heather Johnson, commissioner of the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development. “This funding will ensure businesses that sustained major damage can reopen and prepare for future storms, increase the resilience of trail infrastructure critical to our outdoor recreation economy, and fund resilience-focused projects across Maine.”
Grants are considered conditional, pending a final review of project eligibility and documentation. Eligible infrastructure project types included infrastructure upgrades, improvements or installation of drainage systems, moving electrical or business equipment, relocating the business to a more protected location and investing in additional insurance.
The Department of Economic and Community Development intends to issue a second round of grant awards with the remaining funding in the coming months.
In April, the Governor and Legislature approved $60 million in storm relief to help Maine working waterfronts, communities, and businesses recover from recent storms and become more resilient to future severe weather.
Last month, Mills announced her administration had awarded 68 Maine working waterfronts a total of $21.2 million in grants from the funding to support their recovery and rebuilding.
The administration is expected to announce recipients of $25 million in Maine Infrastructure Adaptation Fund grants made available by the storm relief package in the coming days.
By law, funding for grants made available through the Governor’s storm relief package will become available for distribution Aug. 9.
The work of rebuilding in a more resilient way comes as a new commission, established by the Governor earlier this year, is traveling across Maine to develop the state’s first plan for long-term infrastructure resilience.
The 24-member commission is engaged with communities, industries, and organizations across Maine to understand challenges following storms, identify and bridge gaps in resources like funding, financing, and insurance, how to improve the resilience of energy systems, propose new approaches to improve disaster recovery and response, and strengthen resilience supports at the state, regional, and local levels.