Massachusetts employers can take advantage of a new grant program to help with hiring and training employees. The Baker-Polito administration recently announced the “HireNow” initiative to provide eligible employers with a $4,000 per employee grant (up to $400,000 per employer. The money can be used to cover recruitment, onboarding and training costs, such as headhunter fees, signing and retention bonuses, tuition reimbursement, or other costs related to having internal teams train new employees.  

In order to participate, the employer must be in good standing with the Department of Unemployment Assistance and the Department of Revenue. Both for profit and nonprofit employers are eligible. Applications must be submitted by the employer, not an education or training partner.  

New hires must be onboarded between March 23, 2022, through December 31, 2022, and retained for at least 60 days, be a Massachusetts resident working in Massachusetts, and work at least 30 hours per week for a salary between minimum wage ($14.25/hr) and $85,000 a year 

AIM strongly encourages eligible employers to apply as soon as possible as funds will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis. The program is supported by $50 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds and the program will expire when those funds are depleted.  

Employers must pre-register online at by providing their information. Following the employee’s hire and 60-day retention period, employers will submit a final application for funding. The Commonwealth will also approve the planned use of the funds (training costs, signing bonus, etc.) when approving the application.  

For more information and to apply please visit https://www.mass.gov/hirenow.