SAUGUS — Saugus has been awarded a $360,000 grant to help local businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Part of a state-funded Community Development Block Grant awarded by the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), Town Manager Scott Crabtree said the funds will help point Saugus in the right direction as it recovers from the effects of the long-lasting public health crisis. 

“I am extremely grateful that Governor Charlie Baker, Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito, and the Department of Housing and Community Development awarded the town of Saugus this grant funding to support our community’s small businesses, many of which have been devastated during these difficult times,” Crabtree said in a statement Tuesday. 

In order to better serve the community’s many locally-owned businesses, Crabtree, the Board of Selectmen, and other town officials researched multiple funding opportunities before applying in early June for a $400,000 Community Development Block Grant — the maximum amount awarded to individual municipalities.

This week it was announced Saugus will be receiving $360,000, the funding for which has been made available through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020 to DHCD by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). 

The grant will give Saugus an opportunity to provide financial assistance of up to $10,000 to microenterprises — commercial enterprises with five or fewer employees, one or more of whom owns the enterprise — to lessen the pandemic’s economic burdens. 

Crabtree added in a separate interview with the Item that the town’s Planning and Economic Development department has already received inquiries from some of Saugus’ small businesses interested in applying for grant funding. 

“There are definitely businesses that are struggling,” Crabtree said. “I think this should be a step in the right direction to help some of these micro businesses who could use the money to stay afloat and get back on their feet.” 

Implementation and distribution of grant funds will be overseen by the Office of Planning and Economic Development, in conjunction with the town manager’s office. 

Eligible small businesses interested in applying for assistance should contact the Planning and Economic Development Office at (781) 231-4045. For more information, contact the town manager’s office at (781) 231-4111.