Press Release

U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $5.4 Million in CARES Act Funding to Capitalize Revolving Loan Funds to Help Small Businesses Across Connecticut Respond to Coronavirus

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding $5.4 million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance grants to capitalize and administer Revolving Loan Funds (RLFs) that will provide critical gap financing to small businesses and entrepreneurs that have been adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic across Connecticut.

“President Trump is working diligently every day to support our nation’s economy following the impacts of COVID-19 through the CARES Act,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “These investments will provide small businesses across Connecticut with the necessary capital to rebound from the coronavirus pandemic and, in turn, create a stronger and more resilient state economy for the future.”

“These investments come at a crucial time to help Connecticut’s and our nation’s economy come roaring back and provide hard-working Americans with new opportunities,” said Dana Gartzke, Performing the Delegated Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “Small businesses are the lifeblood of our communities, and EDA is pleased to invest these CARES Act funds so that Connecticut businesses have access to capital to respond to and recover from the coronavirus pandemic.”

“On behalf of the thousands of small businesses in Connecticut that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, I thank the Economic Development Administration for these grants that will support their recovery and expansion efforts,” said Governor Ned Lamont.

The EDA investments announced today are:

• Community Investment Corporation, Hamden, Connecticut, will receive a $3.5 million EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by providing small businesses in all sectors with strategic planning assistance and patient capital to fund their recovery and expansion efforts by capitalizing and administering an RLF to provide loans to coronavirus-impacted businesses New Haven, Litchfield, Fairfield, and Hartford counties.
• Southeastern Connecticut Enterprise Region Corporation, Groton, Connecticut, will receive a $1.9 million EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by facilitating access to capital and specialized services for businesses by capitalizing and administering an RLF to provide loans to coronavirus-impacted businesses in the Towns of Bozrah, Colchester, East Lyme, Franklin, Griswold, Groton, Lebanon, Ledyard, Lisbon, Montville, New London, North Stonington, Norwich, Preston, Salem, Sprague, Stonington, and Waterford in New London County, and the Towns of Voluntown and Windham in Windham County.

These current EDA RLF grantees are some of the more than 850 existing, high-performing EDA RLF, Economic Development District, University Center, and Tribal grant recipients invited to apply for supplemental funding under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

The CARES Act, signed into law by President Donald J. Trump, provides EDA with $1.5 billion for economic development assistance programs to help communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

On May 7, Secretary Ross announced that EDA is accepting applications for CARES Act Recovery Assistance funding opportunities.

EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance, which is being administered under the authority of the bureau’s flexible Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) (PDF) program, provides a wide-range of financial assistance to eligible communities and regions as they respond to and recover from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. For complete information, please visit our recently updated EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance page.

About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation's regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA makes investments in economically distressed communities in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.