A coalition of organizations representing small businesses in Connecticut — many of their members struggling to survive in a pandemic and recession — Thursday urged Gov. Ned Lamont to create a new grant program drawing from the state’s existing federal stimulus funds, rather than waiting for a new package from the U.S. Congress.
In a letter Thursday, more than a dozen organizations — many of them representing the hospitality, tourism and entertainment industries hard hit in the pandemic — pressed for the creation of a new small business grant program with $70 million, or about 5% of Connecticut share of federal CARES Act funding.