Downtown Pittsfield Announces 'Hey Neighbor!' Summer Marketing Grants
PITTSFIELD, Mass.— Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. (DPI) is offering the 2025 "Hey Neighbor!" Summer Marketing Grant for downtown storefront businesses.
Funded by MassDevelopment's Transformative Development Initiative (TDI), the grant aims to support businesses through coordinated cinema and radio marketing campaigns.
Ten businesses in downtown Pittsfield will be awarded marketing grants. Recipients will receive custom video advertisements to be shown before films at the Beacon Cinema and radio advertisements to air on WUPE/WBEC FM from June through August 2025. The initiative seeks to increase foot traffic, raise community awareness, and highlight the stories of local small businesses.
Applications for the grant are due by Friday, May 30, 2025, at 11:59 PM. Grant awardees will be announced on June 6, 2025.
Eligibility Requirements:
- Must be a for-profit, storefront business located on or within a five-minute walk of North Street in Downtown Pittsfield.
- Must have an active lease or own/operate a storefront in the district.
- Must be independently owned (no franchises or chains).
- Eligible business types include retail, restaurants, hospitality, bars, and other customer-facing service businesses (e.g., repair, salons, barbers, massage therapy).
Selection Priorities:
- Strong storytelling and positive representation of Downtown Pittsfield.
- Ability to highlight another neighboring business.
- Availability for filming between June 9–13, 2025.
- Responsiveness to the radio content production team.
Grant Awards by Business Size:
- 4 awards for businesses with 1–3 employees
- 3 awards for businesses with 4–9 employees
- 3 awards for businesses with 10+ employees
Selected businesses will be required to participate in filming coordination and provide input on campaign messaging. A final review meeting will be held at the end of the summer campaign.
Applications can be submitted at https://downtownpittsfield.com/2025/05/hey-neighbor-grants/.
