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The passage of Hurricane Beryl gave rise to the Beryl Emergency Resilient Recovery (BERRY) Project in 2025. Under this project, several Grenadines businesses benefited from a Micro and Small Business Support Grant initiative.

Communications Specialist for the BERRY Project, Ari Shaw, said the Business Support Grant offers cash support and training for micro and small business owners impacted by Hurricane Beryl. The grant ranges from US$1,000 to US$3,000. Shaw emphasised that successful applicants will participate in a mandatory two-day business support training programme.

The Business Support Grant will assist micro and small businesses that earn “less than $20,000 a year … employ no more than five persons,” and must have been active from January to July 2024, Shaw explained.

Interested parties can collect a Business Support Grant application form at the information booth on the ground floor of the Financial Complex or at the Central Planning Division’s office. Shaw said applicants can “receive and drop off their applications, and there is a Project Officer to assist you with any questions or queries you may have.”

According to Shaw, online forms are unavailable at the moment. He reiterated that persons can collect or return their forms, and that the Project Officer is usually available from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily. Shaw stated that applications will close on Thursday, 30th April, 2026, but they are open to extending.

“We’re building a bridge in Noel, and we’re building a bridge in Overland. … Currently, there are two Bailey bridges at those locations, and we want to create a more constructive, long-term means of transportation there,” the BERRY Project Communications Specialist disclosed.

The BERRY Project, which became effective on 19th November, 2024 and was officially launched on 21st July 2025, is a World Bank-funded initiative through an International Development Association (IDA) credit of US$63 million, and co-financed by the EU-funded Caribbean Regional Resilience Building Facility (managed by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery).

SOURCE:  The Agency For Public Information (API)