AUGUSTA — New Ventures Maine announces a marketing mini-grant opportunity for small businesses in Western Maine.

For more than eight years, New Ventures Maine marketing mini-grant program has strengthened small businesses’ access to markets by supporting the development of well-planned marketing tools, materials and activities. Under the program, NVME awards cash grants of up to $400 to micro-enterprises for marketing projects via a competitive process. This program is partially supported by Norway Savings Bank.

A total of $400 is available in the November 2017 grant cycle for businesses in the western region that includes Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties. Eligible businesses for employ five or fewer full-time equivalent employees and have gross annual sales less than $250,000.

Not-for-profit organizations and not-for-profit businesses are not eligible.

A 25 percent match of the prize amount will be required. The purpose of the mini?grants is to support business marketing and promotion, not the production of products or purchase of equipment, tools, furnishings or other fixed assets.

Interested small business owners can apply online at newventuresmaine.org. More information about the mini-grant program is available at newventuresmaine.org. Contact Karleen Andrews, the micro-enterprise specialist for NVME Western Region, at [email protected] for a paper application.

The deadline for the application is 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3.