Maine Jobs & Recovery Coworking Grant

In response to the recent economic challenge, many employers and employees were forced to embrace the remote working environment to ensure that daily operations could continue. Nearly 51% of workers across the country experienced at least some remote work during the this time. This Maine Jobs & Recovery Coworking Grant Program enables communities to aid citizens who find themselves in fully remote or hybrid work situations after the disruptions caused by the event. Coworking facilities provide the logistical support necessary for remote workers to thrive away from the office. Coworking spaces are important for the small and midsized businesses that make up 75% of the shared service center market. In Maine, small and midsized businesses make up the bulk of the employers; investing in coworking resources benefits the state by ensuring that the state’s remote workforce has the services and structure it needs to compete in roles that are no longer tied to physical office space. The presence of modern coworking resources and services also makes Maine more attractive to industries with large remote workforces by demonstrating that the state has the resources, capabilities, and desire to support such work. The Maine Jobs & Recovery Coworking Grant Program aims to provide direct financial support to coworking spaces in the State of Maine that experienced impacts during this economic challenge. It also builds on other Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan programs, including remote worker support and previous financial support for Maine’s libraries, which also serve as much-needed remote work locations in many Maine communities. Specifically, this grant opportunity offers competitive grant funds to small businesses and organizations that operate coworking spaces around the state. These funds will help to stabilize operations, reconstruct layouts that were previously altered to meet social distancing requirements, cover increased costs and other impacts due to the recent worldwide economic challenge, provide outreach, digital infrastructure, and community to new remote workers, and invest in new infrastructure.