The Women's Business Development Council (WBDC) has been helping women excel in business for years, and their grant programs have been a boost to many.
The Child Care Business Opportunity Fund is accepting applications through the end of August. This grant is designed to help licensed and aspiring child care businesses grow. The Ignite Grant Program began on Tuesday and is open through mid-September. Women who have been in business for two years or more and have revenues between $25,000 and $2 million can apply for a $10,000 grant! You'll find more details below.
The State Bond Commission took steps to give residents some relief on their energy bills by approving $155 million in state bond funding to offset certain public benefits charges on electric bills, delivering consumers some relief on these costs. I go a little deeper into the topic below.
Water's Edge is hosting a back-to-school and hiring event combined next Wednesday. Please consider bringing a school supply item to this event. The March for Education Foundation is hosting a back-to-school bash where free school supplies, haircuts, and bicycles (while supplies last) will be offered. Keep scrolling for these items.
Lastly, we're getting close to the start of the exciting Miss President US Summer Program! See my video about it below.
The Women’s Business Development Council (WBDC) has announced the next round of Ignite and Child Care Business Grant Programs.
The Child Care Business Opportunity Fund, offered in partnership with the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC), provides grants of up to $25,000 to qualified licensed and aspiring child care businesses.
The program offers grants targeting different stages of business, from start-ups to those ready to expand. Since this program was launched in 2020, nearly $8.4 million has been awarded to child care businesses in every corner of Connecticut.
The application period for Child Care Business grants runs from August 1 through August 31, 2025. You can find more information on our Child Care Business Opportunity Fund grants here.
The Ignite Grant Program is designed to help women-owned businesses grow. The program offers grants of up to $10,000 to women-owned businesses in the state of Connecticut who have been in business for two or more years and have revenues between $25K and $2 million.
Since the start of the program, 424 grants of over $3.9 million have been awarded to women-owned businesses in Connecticut.
The application period for this grant runs from August 5 through September 16, 2025. You can find additional information on Ignite here. Interested applicants can register for a live information session here.
House of Heroes is a Veteran’s non-profit that helps Veterans and/or their spouses with simple home repairs, free of charge. They are currently in search of Veterans within the Hartford County area for service projects over the next few months.
If you know of a Veteran in your district who could use this assistance, I highly encourage you to apply as their sponsor HERE.
The basic requirements for the Veteran receiving the assistance are:
Be a Military or Public Safety Veteran or their spouse (DD 214 Discharge paperwork required)
Need financial and/or physical assistance with home repair
Before the session ended, the House and Senate passed SB 4, an omnibus energy affordability bill, now Public Act 25-173.
The legislation was a collaborative effort with Governor Lamont, Democratic and Republican lawmakers, containing a number of actions to reduce electric bills. The legislation called for bond funding to help alleviate costs to customers.
Last Friday, the State Bond Commission took the final steps necessary to give residents some relief on their energy bills by approving $155 million in state bond funding to offset certain public benefits charges on electric bills, delivering consumers some relief on these costs.
The bond commission released:
$125 million to be used to reduce the costs associated with hardship protection programs for low-income customers who are having difficulties paying for their electric bills
$30 million to be used to reduce the costs associated with the electric vehicle charging program that funds the infrastructure to integrate electric vehicles and related technologies into the electric grid.
The average customer savings are still being calculated; however, it is anticipated that customers will see a reduction of approximately $10 per month in the public benefits portion of their bills, depending on the utility, customer type, and usage. The reductions will likely take effect around September 2025 and continue into 2026.
Another round of state bond funding is expected to be released in 2026, which will enable a second round of reductions in public benefits charges to take effect after this initial round expires, enabling these savings to continue into 2027.
These savings come in addition to the 25% reduction in public benefits charges that the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) approved in the May 2025 rate adjustment mechanism, as well as the 13% reduction in supply rates for Eversource customers and 14% reduction in supply rates for United Illuminating customers that went into effect on July 1.
Fresh & Flavorful – Straight from the farm to your table
Sustainable Choices – Support eco-friendly farming practices
Support Local – Keep money in your community
Meet Your Farmers – Know who grows your food
Get Inspired – Discover seasonal ingredients & new recipes
Shop local, eat fresh, and grow community! As you know, we have a gem in our area in the Middletown Farmers Market, open every Friday through October 31st, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. @ Union Green, on the corner of Main and Pleasant Streets. You can also find a list of Connecticut’s Farmers Markets HERE.
The Water's Edge Center for Health & Rehabilitation is hosting a back-to-school and hiring event combined at its facility on 111 Church Street next Wednesday, August 13th, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Employment opportunities include openings for CNAs, LPNs, and RNs.
Please consider bringing a school supply item to support local students in need and receive a raffle ticket for a chance to win exciting prizes! For more details and to register, please click HERE.
The March for Education Foundation is hosting a Back-to-School Bash at Harbor Park on Sunday, August 17th, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Free school supplies, free haircuts, and free bicycles (while supplies last) will be offered. You must register for the event. You can do that and find more details about the event by clicking HERE.
What an exciting opportunity for young leaders in Middletown!
From August 18–22 (9:30 a.m. to noon), girls entering 4th through 8th grade will get a hands-on experience in leadership, civic engagement, and confidence-building. Please click on my image below for a short video.
If you know a future leader, now is the time to act! Spots are limited! Please reach out ASAP. More information is on the flyer below.
