Get Started!
Welcome to the Franklin County CDC! Do you have a business idea? Are you looking for financing? Need some guidance on growing your venture? You're in the right place!
Step 1: Let's connect! Get started on your business journey by submitting this short contact form and attending one of our virtual information sessions (check out our info sessions). Once you have submitted the Contact Form, our team will contact you within 10 business days with recommended next steps.
Step 2: Ready for action! Got your business advisor connection? It's time to fill in the Business Assistance Enrollment Form. This form cannot be saved and returned to at a later time, so we encourage you to familiarize yourself with a PDF of the form. We have to ask some demographic questions in order to provide free business help. Please know that we collect this data in aggregate only and that we do not share specific information about any individual business or person. Your answers to these questions help us make sure we are meeting our goals to provide services to a wide range of people, including people with low and moderate incomes, and to those impacted by racism and other types of discrimination.
In need of business financing? Go to our lending page to learn your next steps.
Information Sessions
The Franklin County Community Development Corporation offers free virtual monthly information sessions for those looking to start or grow their businesses. Explore the links below to find the session that will help with your business. Not sure which session is right for you? Contact us to learn more.
We welcome businesses of all types at any stage. Zoom with an expert who has worked with hundreds of businesses over the years and can answer questions and offer resources. This is a great way to get started with the Franklin County CDC. Join us on the first Monday of the month at 11 a.m. Sign up.
Are you dreaming of launching a packaged food product? Are you a farmer looking to turn your harvest into a value-added food product, but not sure where to begin? We can help! Zoom with the food product experts from the Western Massachusetts Food Processing Center to begin a conversation about your food product idea. Discussion topics will include product development, shelf life, packaging, labeling, food safety, regulatory compliance, manufacturing, and distribution. Additionally, we have flexible financing available for farm and food entrepreneurs using locally grown ingredients. Join us on the third Tuesday of the month at 10 a.m. to learn more! Sign up here.
Did you know the words you choose can harm others? Ignorance and innocence are no excuse for using expressions, idioms, and words that evolved to keep dominant cultures powerful and to diminish subordinate cultures. Learn how to notice these phrases and to remove them from your vocabulary, helping to increase equity in our culture and communicating in a neutral tone. Join our Zoom session every other month (February, April, June, August, October, December) on the third Wednesdays of the month at 2 p.m. Sign up!
The 2026 Take the Floor application is now live! Pitch your business idea and compete for a $10,000 business investment!
Take the Floor empowers local entrepreneurs with the tools, networks, and resources they need to launch their ideas into action. Businesses located in Franklin County and the North Quabbin can apply to take the floor on May 19, 5–7 p.m., at Greenspace CoWork in Greenfield. Finalists from that qualifying round go on to the finals on June 25, 5–7 p.m. at Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center to compete for a $10,000 investment in their business. Thanks to Franklin First Federal Credit Union for donating the $10,000. Please see qualifying guidelines in the application.
Applications to pitch at Take the Floor are now closed. Please check back for future opportunities.
Do you own a business and wish you knew more about the basics, from business planning and entity formation to insurance, marketing, financials, and more? The spring Entrepreneurship Accelerator is for owners within a year of opening or established businesses who are looking to grow into their next phase. The application for the spring Entrepreneurship Accelerator is now closed. Please check back in late summer for information on our fall class.