Maryland small business owners can now apply for the next round of a grant program funded by BGE in partnership with Hello Alice and the Global Entrepreneurship Network.
Launched in January 2021, the BGE Energizing Small Business Grants is one of a number of grant programs undertaken by GEN to provide direct financial support to entrepreneurs. It will distribute $5 million to Maryland small business owners seeking COVID-19 relief during this second round of funding for 2022. Eligible businesses located in BGE’s central Maryland service area can apply for a grant of $20,000 each. Applicants will need to demonstrate financial need, and preference will be given to New Majority business owners disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.
To be eligible, a business must:
- An existing BGE electric and/or gas customer with positive BGE credit history
- For-profit business founded in 2020 or prior
- In good standing (or on the way to) with the State of Maryland
- A maximum of twenty-five (25) employees
- Annual gross revenues in 2021 of less than $7 million USD
- Demonstrated need for funding to support business and serve customers
For a full list of eligibility criteria, please see the terms and conditions.
If you applied and were not selected for previous rounds of the program, you are welcome to submit a new application. Your application will be evaluated based on any new information provided and judged against a new pool of applicants.
“Our hope is that the BGE Energizing Small Business Grants will provide much-needed help to hundreds of small businesses in our community, especially historically underrepresented minority and women-owned businesses,” said BGE CEO Carim Khouzami. “This is part of a multi-layered plan to provide direct assistance to energy customers, area nonprofits, and government partners to help put Maryland back on its feet for the long-term, as the public health crisis begins to lift.”
Hundreds of recipients have been announced as part of the 2021 funding rounds and first round of 2022. Arion Long, Founder & CEO of Femly, a for-profit social enterprise that increases access to natural & organic feminine hygiene products based in Baltimore, MD, was a recipient of a 2021 BGE Energizing Small Business Grant. She says, “This funding will help our organization scale to stock restrooms and do our part to end ‘period poverty.’”
Applications close on August 26, 2022, at 6 p.m. ET. Apply here.