Comcast to award grants to Boston-area small businesses

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In partnership with local officials and community partners, Comcast recently announced that it will award comprehensive grant packages to 100 small business owners in Greater Boston.

The awards are a part of the Comcast RISE program to support entrepreneurial growth and community investment through robust business support and resources, along with a financial grant.

The program is also a part of Project UP, which is Comcast’s extensive initiative to “create digital opportunity and help build a future of unlimited possibilities.”

So far, 14,000 small businesses have been awarded over $140 million in monetary, marketing and technology grants.

Comcast selected the Greater Boston area as one of the five regions across the country to receive grant packages.  The program started at the beginning of May.

Additional regions include Grand Rapids, Mich.; Nashville, Tenn.; Seattle, Wash.; and South Valley, Utah.

As small businesses are known to circulate the money in communities longer and hire employees from the local community, eligible businesses can apply for the Comcast RISE program through May 31.

As the director of community impact for Comcast’s New England Region, Becca Fracassa said she knows the impact that small businesses have on the communities they are in.

“We know that small businesses employ many, many people throughout the commonwealth. …  It’s important to us to support our local communities and support those small businesses that uphold those local communities, and additionally, we serve them every day. We want to make sure that everyone is healthy and happy together,” she said.

Fracassa said she is thrilled that Greater Boston is a part of the program this year.

“Our local team on the ground here in Greater Boston is tenured and cares very deeply about our communities. Every year, Comcast selects five cities across the country that we serve in which to execute the RISE program, and we here, locally, pitched for that program to our headquarters team. We were beyond thrilled that they chose Boston, that we were able to make this impact in all of our local communities,” she said.

Spark FM Online’s CEO and Founder Danielle Johnson learned a lot as a previous recipient of the Comcast RISE program, which has helped her business thrive.

“[As] one of the first grants we ever did, that was the kind of catalyst that propelled me into [receiving more] grants after that. I felt like I received some confidence in my writing skills and in my ability to relate my story of why I started my business. When I got the award of the [RISE] grant — after that, I felt like I could do so many grants after that, and I have gone on to win hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants since then. So it was like a precursor to what I would eventually be getting into — the lifelong work of grant writing to set me off [and] to get me to that next level,” she said.

To be eligible for the program, the business owner must be at least 18 years of age or older, the primary decision maker and actively engaged in the day-to-day operation of the business. There can be no more than 100 full-time and part-time employees, established business operations for at least two years, the business must have been revenue generating in the 12 months prior to the application window and located and operating in one of the five geographies, according to their website.

Other requirements include that the business is independently owned-and-operated (e.g., not a franchise location), the owner has no prior felony convictions, tax-related convictions, or child support delinquency convictions within the last 10 years, and the business owner may not currently be serving, either in a full-time or part-time capacity, as a federal, state or local government or quasi-government official or employee.

The selection process for recipients will be based on the qualitative and quantitative answers submitted in the application. A selection committee chosen by Comcast will then review each eligible submission received during the contest period, according to their website.

All applicants will be notified, including those who are not selected. Those not selected for the program will be able to apply again for future rounds and will receive free marketing insights and resources through their Comcast RISE newsletter.

Each of the grant packages have a wide range of support, which includes technology makeover (computer equipment and internet, voice, and cybersecurity services for 12 months with taxes and other fees may apply for tech makeover services), creative production media (professionally produced 30-second TV commercial, along with a media strategy consultation and a 180-day linear media schedule, with taxes and other fees possibly applying for production and media services), education resources (12 month access to online entrepreneurship courses, learning modules and resources for small business owners), a monetary grant of $5,000, and coaching sessions (business assessment and coaching that provides business owners with recommendations on how to help grow their businesses).

Fracassa has some advice for those who are nervous about applying to the program.

“One of the things that I love about this particular application is that you can save it and return to it. So I would say, get in early, go to the website, and open up that application. Think carefully about your answers, and you can take your time, because you can hit that save button, and then you can go back in and finish it when you’re ready,” Fracassa said.

Johnson encourages applicants to be their authentic selves when applying for the RISE program.

“Be able to really understand your story, understand [the] significance of why your business is here [and] how it helps other people,” said Johnson. “If you feel confident in the business and how it helps other people, you’re able to relate that story, and you’ve been in business for a while. You’ve already tested your product, and you know that it’s needed. … Just go through the questions, think about the answers, frame it how you want people to read it, and how you want people to be excited about [your business].” 

“It’s a really great reward. If you want it, you want to put your best foot forward to tell the story about why your business would be a great candidate to receive this award,” she added.

For more information on eligibility requirements and details on how to apply, you can visit ComcastRISE.com.