AUGUSTA — New Ventures Maine (NVME) has announced open applications for their statewide Marketing Mini-Grant competition.
The NVME Marketing Mini-Grant Program aims to strengthen access to markets for small businesses by supporting the development of marketing tools, materials, and activities. NVME will award cash mini-grants—up to $1,000 per region (defined below)—to microenterprises for new or expanded business marketing and promotion projects through a competitive application process. Applications are due by Friday, February 28, 2025 at noon.
Eligible applicants include individual micro-business owners, business partners, or groups of business owners. Businesses apply to the region in which they are based (see below for details).
Application criteria include: 1) Five or fewer full-time equivalent employees; 2) sales in the past 12 months; and 3) gross annual sales of no more than $150,000 (previous calendar year).
Terrill Waldman, co-owner of Tandem Glass with Charlie Jenkins, winners of a 2023 marketing mini-grant, said of its impact, “This grant gave us the energy to pursue and invest in a new logo and a ‘suite’ of marketing goodies. We are so proud of the work we have done. Overall, we are currently up 15% in sales over last year. Traffic to our web site is steady and traffic to our brick and mortar shop is up!”
Regions and contacts for the 2025 Winter/Spring contest are:
· Aroostook County: Destin DeCambre, 207-768-9468, [email protected]
· Kennebec & Somerset Counties: Alicia LaFosse, 207-621-7457, [email protected]
· Sagadahoc, Lincoln, Knox & Waldo Counties: Alicia LaFosse, 207-621-7457, [email protected]
· Penobscot, Piscataquis, Hancock & Washington Counties: Banjo Ogunlela, 207-262-7842, oy[email protected]
· Cumberland & York Counties: Martha Leonard, 207-245-3663, [email protected]
· Androscoggin, Oxford & Franklin Counties: Gina Platt, 207-753-6581, [email protected]
For more information, contact the region representative listed above or visit the New Ventures Maine website.
Marketing mini-grants are sponsored in part by Norway Savings Bank, Katahdin Trust Company, and Kennebec Savings Bank.
“We are excited to sponsor mini-grants that empower small businesses to boost their marketing efforts and overall success,” said Duncan Mixer, AVP & Commercial Loan Officer at Norway Savings Bank. “Bringing financial support to the communities we serve is an important priority for us.”
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