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Business Resources

The U.S. Small Business Administration is encouraging partners, stakeholders, and local officials to help share information about available disaster assistance for eligible small businesses and private nonprofit organizations including faith-based impacted by drought beginning June 16.

Eligible businesses and nonprofits in the Massachusetts county of Nantucket may apply for low-interest federal disaster loans for economic injury.

Attached is a flyer with important eligibility details, deadlines, and application information in which can be shared with local partners, stakeholders, and impacted communities.

Key Deadline:

Economic Injury Loans: April 26, 2027

Apply online: sba.gov/disaster

Application Deadline: April 26, 2027

For additional assistance:

SBA Customer Service Center: (800) 659-2955

Email: disastercustomerservice@sba.gov

Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1

Thank you for helping us ensure the impacted small businesses and organizations are aware of available recovery resources.

USDA Designates 6 Massachusetts Counties as Natural Disaster Areas

 

This Secretarial natural disaster designation allows the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation, or to refinance certain debts. FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available, and repayment ability.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, these counties suffered from a drought intensity value during the growing season of 1) D2 Drought-Severe for 8 or more consecutive weeks or 2) D3 Drought-Extreme or D4 Drought-Exceptional.

Triggering Disaster #1

Impacted Area: Massachusetts, Rhode Island

Triggering Disaster: Drought Beginning 06/09/2026

Application Deadline: 04/26/2027

Primary Counties Eligible: 

  • Massachusetts: Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

  • Massachusetts: Norfolk, Plymouth
  • Rhode Island: Bristol, Newport, Providence

 

Triggering Disaster #2

Impacted Area: Massachusetts

Triggering Disaster: Drought Beginning 06/16/2026

Application Deadline: 04/26/2027

Primary Counties Eligible: 

  • Massachusetts: Nantucket

More Resources

On farmers.gov, the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster Assistance-at-a-Glance fact sheet, and Loan Assistance Tool can help you determine program or loan options. To file a Notice of Loss or to ask questions about available programs, contact your local  USDA Service Center.

February Blizzard Impacts
We received an information request from Jamie Barry with the Mass. Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) regarding the impacts on businesses during the February blizzard.  MEMA is going to compile the survey results, and may use that data to request access to Economic Injury Disaster Loans.
To clarify, by filling out the forms, you are not applying for a loan, you are simply providing the data the agency would use to measure the economic impact of the blizzard.
If your businesses faced an economic loss directly related to the blizzard, please fill out the forms linked below and send email to Disaster.Recovery@mass.gov  as soon as you can.
If you have any questions, Jamie Barry is available for additional information.  Jamie.Barry@mass.gov.
Economic Injury Worksheet
EIDL Instructions

Please see the attached document regarding CTA compliance which is probably relevant to your business. CTA Compliance doc

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Nantucket Recycles!

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Plastics Ban Information

Outdoor Lighting Regulations

 

The Chamber consists of over 750 members here on Nantucket. You can be one of those businesses by joining today! Join by clicking here.

*IMPORTANT NEWS UPDATE RE: WIND TURBINE BLADE FAILURE*
 
Nantucket, Massachusetts – The Town and County of Nantucket (Nantucket) is pleased to announce that the Community Claims Fund (the “Claims Fund”), created under Nantucket’s settlement with GE Vernova, will welcome claims submissions starting January 26, 2026.
The Claims Fund is intended to reimburse individuals and business owners within Nantucket, Tuckernuck, and Muskeget for expenses and recovery of other economic losses relating to or arising from the incident on July 13, 2024, where the Haliade-X turbine blade used on a wind turbine of the Vineyard Wind 1 project broke apart due to a manufacturing deviation (the “Incident”).
Verus, LLC will serve as the professional, third-party administrator (the “Administrator”) to manage the Fund and accept, assess, process, and pay claims. Verus’s goal is to fairly and adequately compensate as many claimants as possible consistent with established losses and the available settlement funds. When submitting a claim, the Administrator will require documentation to show: (i) out-of-pocket expenditures paid to remove debris or to repair property damage resulting from the Incident; (ii) increased costs reasonably incurred to mitigate potential losses resulting from the Incident; and/or (iii) reduced gross profits that were caused by the Incident.
The Administrator will accept claims for a period of six (6) months beginning January 26, 2026. Additional guidance on how to submit a claim may be found beginning in January on the Town’s website.
Select Board chair Dawn Hill stated: “We are excited to reach another important milestone in our efforts to resolve the harms of this unfortunate event.”