MassDevelopment Awards Commonwealth Places Grant to Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce

September 10, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Louisa Stone, MassDevelopment, 857-283-3340 (cell)
lstone@massdevelopment.com

MassDevelopment has awarded a $10,000 Commonwealth Places COVID-19 Response Round: Resurgent Places grant to the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce for its Riverfront Boardwalk “Booth’let,” a new parklet to be set up on Merrimack Street featuring outdoor dining space and booths where local retailers can sell products. The organization will use funds to buy outdoor chairs, tables, planters, canopy canvasses, lighting, and hardware to set up the booths. The Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce will also launch a crowdfunding campaign; if the organization reaches its $15,000 goal, it will receive an additional matching grant from MassDevelopment. The grant was awarded through MassDevelopment’s special Commonwealth Places COVID-19 Response Round: Resurgent Places, which was made available specifically to assist local economic recovery efforts as community partners prepare public spaces and commercial districts to serve residents and visitors.

“MassDevelopment’s Commonwealth Places program is a resource to help communities implement placemaking projects that improve public spaces, create foot traffic, and stimulate economic activity,” said MassDevelopment President and CEO Lauren Liss. “During this challenging economic climate, we’re pleased to help the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce set up an outdoor parklet in downtown Haverhill and enable residents and visitors to more easily patronize local restaurants and vendors.”

Created in 2016, Commonwealth Places aims to engage and mobilize community members to make individual contributions for placemaking projects, with the incentive of a funding match from MassDevelopment if the crowdfunding goal is reached. In June 2020, MassDevelopment announced the availability of $225,000 in funding for the Commonwealth Places COVID-19 Response Round: Resurgent Places. For this round, nonprofits and other community groups could apply to MassDevelopment for grants of up to $25,000. Up to $10,000 per project could be awarded as an unmatched grant; awards greater than $10,000 must be matched with crowdfunding donations. All grantees and projects will be required to follow the mandatory safety standards and protocols of the Commonwealth’s Reopening Massachusetts plan.

MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development agency, works with businesses, nonprofits, banks, and communities to stimulate economic growth. During FY2019, MassDevelopment financed or managed 316 projects generating investment of more than $2 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are estimated to create or support 9,743 jobs and build or preserve 1,992 housing units.