BERRY PROJECT SPEARHEADS SECOND MICRO- AND SMALL-BUSINESS SUPPORT GRANT INITIATIVE
The passage of Hurricane Beryl gave rise to the Beryl Emergency Resilient Recovery (BERRY) Project. Last year, under this project, several Grenadines businesses benefited from a micro- and small Business Support Grant initiative.
Communications Specialist for the BERRY Project, Ari Shaw, said the Business Support Grant offers cash support and training for micro- and small-business owners impacted by Hurricane Beryl. The business support grant ranges from US $1000 to $3000 dollars. Shaw emphasised that successful applicants will participate in a mandatory two (2) day business support training.
The Business Support Grant will assist micro- and small-businesses that earn “less than $20,000 a year … employ no more than five persons,” and the business must have been active from January to July 2024, Shaw explained.
Interested parties can collect a business support grant application form at the information booth on the ground floor of the Financial Complex or at the Central Planning Division’s Office. Shaw said applicants can “receive and drop off their applications. And there is … a Project Officer to assist you with any questions or queries you may have.”
According to Shaw, online forms are unavailable at the moment. He reiterated that people collect or return their forms; that the Project Officer is usually there from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Shaw stated that applications will close on April 30th, but they are open to extending.
“We’re building a bridge in Noel, and we’re building a bridge in Overland. … Currently, there are two Bailey bridges at those bridges, and we want to make a more constructive, long-term means of transportation out there,” the BERRY Project Communications Specialist disclosed.
The BERRY Project, which became effective on November 19, 2024, and was officially launched on July, 21, 2025, is a World Bank-funded initiative through an International Development Association (IDA) credit of US$ 63 million, and co-financed by the EU-funded Caribbean Regional Resilience Building Facility (managed by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery).