merrimack valley
business relief and
resiliency
The September 2018 gas crisis in the Merrimack Valley caused total disruption to the business community. Nearly 850 businesses were forced to close, thousands of employees lost their jobs and nearly two years later, the impacts of the crisis continue to challenge the local economy.
A broad coalition, including ECCF, responded quickly to address the acute challenges of the impacted businesses. Their immediate advocacy resulted in Columbia Gas providing $10 million to support the recovery and rebuilding of the local economy. The coalition continues working today to create resiliency and growth in the region.
Learn more about their efforts to date.
Responding to COVID-19
Today, the coalition continues to mobilize, collaborate and expand to address the pandemic’s impact on small businesses. The coalition has pivoted to work to support thousands of businesses with:
- Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan support
- acquisition and dissemination of personal protective equiptment (PPE) required to reopen
- broad and deep technical assistance for the business most impacted across the Merrimack Valley
merrimack valley small business coalition
- City of Lawrence
- Town of Andover
- Town of North Andover
- Essex County Community Foundation
- Lawrence Partnership
- EforAll/EparaTodos
- Mill Cities Community Investments
- Merrimack Valley Workforce Investment Board / MassHire
- Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation
- Assistance from state and federal delegations
september 2020 update report
business relief news
Funding partnerships power support for behavioral health systems
ECCF and partners award nearly $600,000 in collaborative grants At the Integrated Center for Group Medical Visits (ICGMV), a national leader in the group medical care model with strong roots in Lawrence, Dr. Jeffrey Geller, co-chair of the nonprofit, says the city...
Michael Bobbitt, Dar Williams Headline Essex County Arts & Culture Summit
ECCF celebrates five years of Creative County at The Cabot on Sept. 30 Beverly, MA --- Hundreds of artists and community leaders will converge upon The Cabot on Sept. 30 to celebrate five years of the Creative County Initiative, Essex County Community Foundation’s...
Three Community Leaders join the ECCF Board of Trustees
Danvers, MA -- Essex County Community Foundation (ECCF), an organization serving the 34 cities and towns of Essex County, is pleased to announce that Lane A. Glenn of Amesbury, Patricia Fae Ho of Beverly, and Dean J. Marsh of Middleton have recently been elected to...
While the impacts of COVID linger, summer programs come up with new ways to engage Greater Lawrence youth
ECCF’s Greater Lawrence Summer Fund supports 45 nonprofit organizations By Michelle Xiarhos Curran, ECCF Communications Writer More than two years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers of summer programming focused on Greater Lawrence youth continue to...
Column: To become more effective, philanthropy must go deeper
COLUMN IN THE SALEM NEWSBy Stacey Landry and Michelle Xiarhos Curran SEE ORIGINAL COLUMN IN THE SALEM NEWS HERE. The need for innovative, effective philanthropy that forges deep connections between people and causes has never been greater. Nor has the time been more...
crisis response
get in touch
Stratton Lloyd
Executive Vice President & COO
978-777-8876 x126
s.lloyd@eccf.org
community voices
“Small businesses are not faint at heart, we are not easily defeated; we’re knocked down; but we’re not out.”
– Kellee Twadelle,
Owner, Rose & Dove, North Andover
GET IN TOUCH
- 175 Andover Street, Suite 101
Danvers, Massachusetts 01923
QUICK LINKS
ECCF's Tax ID # 04-3407816