FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, December 13, 2021
Media Inquiries for MPDC: Kelly Ransom, Director of Communications & Public Affairs
P: (617) 721-9306
MADISON PARK DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION RECEIVES COLLABORATIVE WORKSPACES PROGRAM GRANT TO SUPPORT BLACK MARKET IN NUBIAN SQUARE
ROXBURY, MA. –
Madison Park Development Corporation (MPDC) is proud to receive an award of $80,000 as part of the Baker-Polito Administration’s Collaborative Workspace Program. The sixth round of the
Collaborative Workspace Program, administered by MassDevelopment, aims to accelerate business formation, job creation, and entrepreneurial activity in communities by supporting infrastructure that fuels locally-based innovation. The awarded funds are designated to support MPDC’s collaboration with Black Market to strengthen community-based innovation and entrepreneurship.
Black Market is a Black-owned micro-business accelerator located at 2136 Washington St. in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood in a building owned by MPDC. The grant funds will be used to fund key building envelope improvements that will ensure that the space can continue to be fully utilized by Black Market which supports artisans and entrepreneurs of color facing barriers to business success by providing them space to create art, display and vend their products, hold meetings, and participate in capacity-building trainings and workshops.
“Black Market is grateful for the opportunity to continue its work to provide a collaborative workspace for the Nubian Square Commercial District in Roxbury through this partnership with MassDevelopment and Madison Park. This work is critical to closing the gaps for founders of Color, Women, and other underserved businesses,” said Kai Grant, Founder & Owner of Black Market.
“Across the Commonwealth, collaborative workspaces such as makerspaces, artist spaces, shared kitchens, and more, have breathed new life into downtown buildings and created room for innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito.
Since its inception in the fall of 2014, and through FY2021, the Collaborative Workspace Program has provided more than $9.8 million in 164 awards for the planning, development, and build-out of different types of collaborative workspaces. Through the first five rounds of the program, collaborative workspaces have added 10,106 users since implementing their grant-funded projects and occupy approximately 1,013,593 square feet in cities and towns across Massachusetts. Many awards have benefited innovation spaces in Gateway Cities.
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