Press Release
Helping the Local Economy Weather COVID
PSEG Long Island provided more than $2 million in grants and discounts to small and medium-sized businesses in 2020
(UNIONDALE, N.Y. – April 5, 2021) – PSEG Long Island is proud to announce funding for the Outdoor Spaces program has been renewed for a limited time. More than $2 million in grants and discounts were provided last year to help more than 1,000 local businesses and organizations meet the ever-evolving challenges of COVID-19 and continue to thrive.
“PSEG Long Island knows that small and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of our communities and our local economy,” said John Keating, manager of Economic and Community Development at PSEG Long Island. “Even before the pandemic transformed all of our lives, we were offering grants and discounts to encourage foot traffic in downtown commercial districts and bring businesses into empty storefronts. We evolved our programs to address the new realities our commercial customers are seeing, and the response has been enormous.”
PSEG Long Island continues to offer Main Street Revitalization grants and Vacant Storefront discounts to businesses. In 2020, the company also began offering “Outdoor Spaces” grants to local chambers of commerce to help transform sidewalk areas and plazas with the seating, lighting and heating needed to keep customers dining and shopping locally. Limited funding for this grant program will be renewed for 2021 on a first come, first served basis. The program will offer funding of up to $5,000 to a Chamber of Commerce or Business Improvement District. Applications will be accepted until June 1, 2021.
Last year, PSEG Long Island also offered “Small Business First,” a temporary program which increased existing rebates to businesses installing new, energy-efficient lighting, appliances and other fixtures that save them thousands of dollars annually on their bills.
“Whether these programs provided picnic tables, outdoor space heaters, or new appliances that use less energy, we know they are positioning local businesses to succeed in this unprecedented environment,” Keating said, noting PSEG Long Island is currently evaluating its programs for 2021.
Here is a breakdown of PSEG Long Island’s 2020 support of local businesses.
Small Business First
- Supplemented PSEG Long Island’s already significant energy efficiency rebates with $1.8 million in PSEG Long Island Economic Development funding, allowing most projects to be done with no customer cost.
- More than 1,000 participating small businesses, including auto body shops, seafood stores, delis, restaurants, barbershops, clothing stores, doctor’s offices, florists, beauty salons and more.
Outdoor Spaces
- PSEG Long Island approved 29 applications, representing a total of more than $125,000.
- These have been awarded to chambers of commerce and business improvement districts in municipalities all across the service area, including Wantagh, Port Jefferson, Lindenhurst, Kings Park, Huntington, Amityville, Babylon, Oyster Bay, Glen Cove, Port Washington, Sag Harbor, Nesconset, Smithtown, Syosset-Woodbury, Gordon Heights, Westhampton Beach, Massapequa Park and more.
Main Street Revitalization
- More than $254,000 was provided to businesses and organizations through standard Main Street Revitalization grants in 2020, supporting upgrades and projects at restaurants, arts centers, breweries and more.
- These projects are estimated to create close to 200 permanent jobs in the community and bring more vitality to business districts.
To learn more about all the programs PSEG Long Island offers to support local businesses, please visit https://www.psegliny.com/inthecommunity/revitalization.
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PSEG Long Island operates the Long Island Power Authority’s transmission and distribution system under a long-term contract. PSEG Long Island is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. (PSEG) (NYSE:PEG), a publicly traded diversified energy company.