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Bangor, Maine –  The Maine MultiCultural Center (MMCC), in partnership with Eastern Maine Development Corporation (EMDC) is proud to announce the launch of a program, in collaboration with DECD. This program supports and empowers businesses established after January 1, 2020. The initiative provides technical assistance, grants, and entrepreneurial training to these emerging enterprises, through a vast network of 12 partnered organizations and collaboration with DECD.

In the wake of the unprecedented challenges brought on by the global pandemic, MMCC recognizes the need to foster the growth and success of new businesses. The program provides entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources, knowledge, and skills necessary to achieve their long-term business goals.

Under the new program, businesses founded after January 1, 2020 with under 250 employees, will have access to response teams composed of the program’s partners. These teams offer support services tailored to each business’s unique needs. The teams comprise planners, community officials, investors, development analysts, and more. These services include:

  1. Technical Assistance: EMDC and its partners will collaborate with businesses to address their operational and technical challenges. This support covers workforce development, government contracting, climate resilience, and more.
  2. Grants: Recognizing the financial constraints faced by many emerging businesses in the wake of the pandemic, EMDC will provide grants to eligible companies. These grants reduce financial burdens and provide the necessary capital for growth initiatives.
  3. Entrepreneurial Training: The program will feature comprehensive training through our partners, empowering entrepreneurs with essential skills and knowledge. Workshops, webinars, and mentoring opportunities will cover business planning, marketing strategies, financial management, leadership development, and more.

“During the pandemic I saw my family’s businesses struggle to keep going with the resources they could get being established. I can only imagine the difficulties facing new businesses who have had to persevere without the same resources.

I am proud to be apart of a program that works with new businesses pursuing stability and success in the wake of COVID.” – Tanner Hanes, Program Manager for the Economic Recovery Implementation Hub at EMDC

“I am proud to empower friends, family, and peers as they embark on their journey to start their own businesses. By connecting them with essential resources, we hope to support our community’s small business owners as they take the next step in achieving their goals.”

– Jaida Bolstridge, Program Manager for the Economic Recovery Implementation Hub at EMDC

Applications open starting July 26th. Visit Eastern Maine Development Corporation’s official  website at emdc.org for more information and application guidelines.

For media inquiries or further information, please contact:

Pamela Proulx-Curry
Executive Director
Maine MultiCultural Center
pam.proulxcurry@mainemulticulturalcenter.org
(207)974-3223


To know more, visit the Community Redistribution Fund Announces 2023 Grantees – Good Shepherd Food Bank


State

June 5, 2023

Portland City Council
  • The Portland City Council is meeting this evening at 5:00pm, and a number of items of interest are on the agenda, including: “Recognizing June 2023 as Immigrant Heritage Month” and “Regarding Decommissioning of the Portland Expo as Temporary Emergency Shelter.”




The Expo has been operating as a temporary emergency shelter since April 12th.

Our leadership is committed to creating hope and opportunity for
Arab American immigrants and refugees.
  • The New England Arab American Organization of Maine hosted a forum on hate crimes last Friday, featuring a panel discussion and keynote speakers. According to NEAAO’s Zoe Sahloul, “”Hate crimes in Maine have tripled since 2019… It is time for us to come together and recognize these trends and explore ways we can all work together”





Credit: NCM











Archives

May 15, 2023

April 08, 2023

January 17, 2023

  • The South Portland City Council is considering a rent control proposal next month. Acknowledging “The council is very concerned overall with the unintended consequences of rent control,” South Portland Mayor Kate Lewis said the proposed rent control amount would be moderate.
  • In commemoration of National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, scores of people attended a memorial vigil in downtown Lewiston last Wednesday to raise awareness of the issue. “There are people and resources that want to help,” said Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline.
  • Two months after Samuel Mugisha disappeared from his Portland home, his family is reiterating the need to find him. “What can you say when you have a missing person and you don’t know where they are and if they’re dead or alive,” asked his uncle, Claude Rwaganje. “It’s hard.” According to the Press Herald report, “Anyone with information can call the Portland Police Department at 207-874-8479 or the Westbrook Police Department at 207-854-0644.”
  • A new study found the Bangor area needs $5 million annually in housing investments in order to keep pace with demand. Said Jason Bird, a housing expert with Penquis and the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition: “The reality is we as a state and as a nation really have underfunded housing for decades, and now that issue is really coming home to roost.”
  • The Brewer School Committee adopted a new policy of celebrating diversity and acknowledging the need for equitable access to resources. “We welcome everyone, period,” said Brewer Superintendent Gregg Palmer, “and research indicates that people learn better when they feel valued.”
  • WMTW‘s James Corrigan reported on how Pine Tree Legal Assistance has been working with people facing eviction from hotels this month, which his colleague Terry Stackhouse covered. “The challenge for people who are staying in hotels and people who are month-to-month tenants,” said PTLA attorney Chris Marot, “is that there is this anxiety about what’s going to happen in the long term.”
  • Andy O’Brien continued his history of immigration in Maine series for Amjambo Africa, with this installment focused on the Black community of maritime workers in Portland of the early 1800s.
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