Business Resources
The following resources are available to help businesses
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- CTHires: Job Listing Resource
- Dept. of Labor: Business Services Representatives provide support to help navigate policy and incentive for hiring workers
- Hoovers: Find company and industry information
- Insperity: Human Resource Assistance
- International Trade Administration: Dept. of Commerce providing foreign trade information
- International Trade Links: List of links providing information on foreign trade complied by CT Department of Economic and Community Development
- SCORE: Free counseling services, training, guides, and other tools to help you to start and grow your business
- Small Business Administration (SBA): Online tools, podcasts, forms, brochures and other forms of business help
- Community Investment Corporation (CIC) Economic development lending company that offers financing and support to small businesses in Connecticut
- Trade Port: Access detailed information about waterborne shipping
- Hamden Business & Career Center. Offers a collection of self-help reference books, circulating materials, videos, audiocassettes, periodicals, computer software and other resources to service your business needs
- Connecticut Innovations. Venture capital and strategic support for early stage technology companies.
- Connecticut Bioscience Innovation Fund (CBIF) Financial assistance to bioscience startups, early-stage businesses, nonprofits, and accredited colleges and universities
- Workforce Development Local and regional organizations provide educational and workforce training programs to meet the needs of growing business
- Women Owned Businesses. Support for Women owned business.
- Women Business Development Council. Provides the training and education for women to launch and scale their businesses.
- Minority Business Funding. Provides loans and lines of credit to Connecticut businesses owned by minorities and/or women
- Small Business Express. Resources for businesses operating for at least a year and employ fewer than 100 people.
- Energy Improvement Incentives Program. Energy Conservation programs save business owners and residential money on utilities and reduce their carbon footprint.
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CT American Job Center. Partnership of organizations that provide workforce assistance to job seekers and employers with highly qualified job candidates
- Brownfield Remediation Funding. Provides financial and technical assistance to municipalities and economic development agencies as well as brownfield owners and potential developer
- Commercial and Industrial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE). Innovative financing model that will allow building owners across the state to access cleaner, cheaper and more reliable energy. C-PACE allows interested property owners to access financing to make qualifying energy efficiency and clean energy improvement
- CTNEXT. Innovation ecosystem, equipping start-ups and entrepreneurs with resources, guidance and networks to accelerate growth and success
- Digital Media Credits. Eligible production companies can receive a tax credit on a sliding scale up to 30% on qualified digital media and motion picture production, pre-production and post-production expenses incurred in the state, up to $1 million or more
- Manufacturing Assistance Act. DECD’s traditional loan tool offers direct financial assistance via low-interest loans for projects with strong economic development potential. Funding may be provided to any economic-based industry. The funds may be used for machinery and equipment, construction/leasehold improvements, inventory, relocation, training and other eligible project related costs
- Manufacturing Innovative Fund (MIF). Supports the growth, innovation and progress of the advanced manufacturing sector through the $75 million MIF. The MIF invests in loans and grants for business, industry and competitive initiatives to support CT’s manufacturers.
- Pre-Seed Financing Program. Connecticut Innovators (CI) provides pre-seed financing to businesses for the development of proof of concepts and support services. Financial assistance shall not exceed $150,000 per business. An eligible business must: a) be principally located in CT with not less than 75% of its employees working in state; and b) demonstrate private investment dollars not less than 50 cents for every dollar of financial assistance sought from the program.
- Sales and Use Tax Exemption. Connecticut Innovators (CI) can act as a conduit for a sales and use tax exemption for the company’s anticipated qualifying capital equipment and/or construction materials. This exemption relieves the company and/or the developer from the state’s 6.35% sales tax, up to the CI Board-approved amount. This procedure is subject to review and approval by the CI Board of Directors and CT Dept. of Revenue Services.
- Small Business Express Program. The Small Business Express Program provides loans and grants to small businesses to support job creation and retention, encourage private investment and increase skill development. To be eligible, small businesses must be: a) registered to conduct business for not less than 12 months; b) In good standing with all state agencies and and with the payment of all state taxes; and c) employing no more than 100 employees.
- Urban and Industrial Site Reinvestment Tax Credit Program. This program allows for a dollar-to-dollar corporate tax credit up to 100% of capital investment on eligible projects with a min. investment of $5 million in distressed communities and $50 million in all other communities