From left, Kerry Taylor of PVGrows lending client Brookfield Farm, Amherst; Amy Schotanus, Entrepreneurship Accelerator alum, of Macabre Mood and Macabre Garage, Montague; Jared and Sam Newell of Massachusetts Food Trust lending client Fruit Fair in Chicopee; David D'Altorio, Molly Botnick, and Tawni Benick of PVGrows lending client Common Variety in Montague; Abigail Ferla and Noah Goldberg of Foxtrot Herb Farm, a Western MA Food Processing Center client.
Welcome to the Franklin County Community Development Corporation! We help small-business owners and entrepreneurs of all types at all stages. How? We provide free business planning help tailored to each entrepreneur, including one-on-one business counseling, a twice-yearly Entrepreneurship Accelerator, and an annual Take the Floor business pitch contest.
We have a robust lending department and offer flexible financing, while looking holistically at each borrower. While traditional bank financing may not be available to early-stage businesses without three years of financial information or borrowers with limited collateral, we often can make those loans, helping businesses start and grow.
Through our farm and food programming, we work toward a more just and resilient food system. Need a quick contact with the Franklin County CDC? Click here.
Learn about our programs
- The Western Massachusetts Food Processing Center helps guide specialty food entrepreneurs from throughout the New England region along the path to launch and manufacture food products.
- We help farmers and food entrepreneurs add value to their crops through the Massachusetts Agriculture Innovation Center.
- We give community members an opportunity to invest in our food system (and give farmers and food businesses access to financing) through the PVGrows Investment Fund.
- The Massachusetts Food Trust Program, which we administer for the central and western part of the state, provides access to capital for entrepreneurs wanting to bring local food retail to low-grocery areas.
- We also rent commercial space to emerging and established businesses in our Venture Center.
- We aim to weave Racial Justice work through all we do.
Ready to get started?
Find an information session that’s right for you on our Get Started page or fill in the Contact Us form for more information. You can also contact us by email (hello@fccdc.org) or by phone at (413) 774-7204.