About the Trust Fund
The first of its kind in Massachusetts, the Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund (Trust Fund) was established by Section 14A of Chapter 94G of the Mass. General Laws (Authorizing Statute) and is administered by the Executive Office of Economic Development (EOED). This initiative makes financial assistance available to eligible applicants for the purpose of encouraging the full participation in the Commonwealth’s regulated marijuana industry of entrepreneurs from communities that have been disproportionately harmed by marijuana prohibition and enforcement. The goal of the CSE Trust Fund is to increase equity and opportunity within the state’s regulated marijuana industry.
The Authorizing Statute also established the Cannabis Social Equity Advisory Board to work with and advise EOED on the promulgation of regulations and administration of the Trust Fund. For information on the Advisory Board’s membership, upcoming meeting notices, past meeting minutes, etc., please visit the Advisory Board’s webpage. The Trust Fund Regulations were completed and published in early 2024, and can be viewed here: 400 CMR 8.00: Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund.
The Trust Fund will house several financial assistance programs to support eligible cannabis entrepreneurs. Information about programs that have been developed to date can be found below.
FY25 Social Equity Grant Program
The Healey-Driscoll Administration is pleased to announce the availability of additional financial assistance from the Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund with the launch of the new Social Equity Grant Program, which will offer grants to current and pre-licensed cannabis industry entrepreneurs. The Social Equity Grant Program (Grant Program) seeks to address the financial needs of Massachusetts cannabis social equity businesses by providing grants to eligible Marijuana Establishments, Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers, as well as Pre-Licensed Cannabis Business. The Grant Program will distribute grants to promote and support the increased participation of social equity participants in the cannabis industry.
To be eligible to apply for funds from the Social Equity Grant Program, the applicant must be a duly organized business entity in good standing and located in Massachusetts that qualifies as a Pre-Licensed Cannabis Business or a Marijuana Establishment or Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers with a Provisional or Final License issued by the Commission that has a majority of ownership designated by the Commission as Economic Empowerment Priority Applicants or Social Equity Program Participants.
Prospective applicants must carefully review the FY25 Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA), for all the detailed information about eligibility, requirements, and criteria for requesting funds.
To be eligible for a grant from this program an applicant must be a duly organized Massachusetts business entity with a provisional or final licensed issued by the Cannabis Control Commission (Commission) that qualifies as an Economic Empowerment Priority Applicant or Social Equity Business.
For more information, please review the FY25 Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) (revised Oct. 7, 2024).
How to Apply
To apply for financial assistance through the CSE Trust Fund, applicants must complete and submit a Full Application through the online grant application portal (Submittable). Once your organization is registered in the Submittable system, you may begin work on any available opportunities for the current round. Any designated user may access, edit, and/or save an application(s) on behalf of their organization.
Key Dates
- Application opens September 24, 2024, at 9:00 AM.
- Informational webinar will be held October 1, 2024, at 12:00 PM.
- Application deadline is October 17, 2024, at 11:59 PM.
Additional Information
Informational Webinar
A recording from the Cannabis Social Equity Grant Program webinar is available here.
View the Cannabis Social Equity Grant webinar presentation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions may be submitted via email to CannabisEquityFund@mass.gov. Similar questions will be aggregated, and responses may be posted here and/or in a Frequently Asked Questions document.
Other Trust Fund Resources
Annual Reports
- FY23 Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund Annual Report
- FY24 Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund Annual Report
Trust Fund Regulation
Past Programs
The Immediate Needs Grant Program (Closed)
The Immediate Needs Grant Program, our first program launched through the CSETF offered grants to support cannabis business license holders with urgent financial needs. The program provided grants to eligible Marijuana Establishments and Medical Marijuana Treatment Center businesses in amounts up to $50,000 to support imminent or outstanding expenses essential to the operation of the business such as personnel costs, rent, utility or other facility expenses, loan repayments or debt service, regulatory fees, professional service payments or other expenses that support stabilizing the business. For a list of awardees, please check out the Immediate Needs Program Press Release.