By Adam Swift
Last week, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) announced that nearly $22.8 million in Community Mitigation Fund (CMF) grants have been awarded to various municipalities and other eligible entities across Massachusetts, including $1,027,000 for projects and initiatives in Chelsea.
Since its inception in 2015, the MGC has awarded approximately $79.5 million in grants from the CMF. Established by the gaming law, this fund assists host and surrounding communities, along with other qualified applicants, in offsetting costs related to casino construction and operation.
Grant awards support a broad spectrum of community needs including education, transportation, infrastructure, housing, environmental issues, public safety, emergency services and gambling harm reduction.
In Chelsea, the money is earmarked to help support projects and initiatives including:
Bunker Hill Enterprise Center for Entrepreneurship and Training (ECET) – This project provides training for local entrepreneurs and small business owners, focusing on hospitality skills, talent recruitment, career readiness, business planning, and innovation to boost local economic participation.
Discover Chelsea Campaign – This project continues the Discover Chelsea Tourism Campaign, using strategic ads, pop-up events, and professional marketing to attract visitors and boost community pride.
Traffic Patrols and Equipment – This project funds weekend and holiday traffic enforcement on main casino routes and provides equipment including a signboard, traffic barriers, and license plate readers.
Fire Department Personnel – This project funds two firefighter positions for two years to support the city’s plan to add a new fire company, matching the planned hiring of four additional firefighters.
“It’s really been important to the city to have access to these funds to address some of the impacts that being right next to the casino has had on Chelsea,” said Emily Granoff, Chelsea’s Deputy Director of Housing and Community Development. “Not just that, but to be able to use improvements … for broader community benefits.”
For example, she said the Discover Chelsea Campaign helps draw in people to enjoy the incredible food and culture in the city.
“That helps our businesses that are maybe hurting a little bit because there is a huge destination nearby that people are going to instead,” said Granoff. “It’s also not just a response to the casino, it is a really big benefit to the businesses that are drawing people whether or not they are casino patrons.”
Public safety was a big area when it came to crafting the grant for the gaming commission funds this year, she added.
“We did get funding for two new firefighters for the Chelsea Fire Department to be funded over the next couple of years,” Granoff said. “Often, we have also put in money for transportation improvement project, that is a big way the city was able to do the
Beech and Williams Street corridor. This year, people are feeling a little overloaded I think with road work in Chelsea, so we focused on those other areas.”
MGC Chair Jordan Maynard said the Massachusetts Gaming Commission is committed to maximizing the value and minimizing the harms of legal gambling, including the impacts on the host and surrounding communities.
“On behalf of my fellow Commissioners, we are proud to support projects across the Commonwealth that seek to improve public safety, assist with community planning, reduce gaming harms, enhance workforce development initiatives, and mitigate traffic and road safety issues,” said Maynard. “We have seen firsthand the impact of the Community Mitigation Fund and look forward to the completion of each project.”
The CMF review team conducted an evaluation of all applications to ensure compliance with the FY2026 CMF Guidelines, making recommendations to the Commission during several public meetings throughout the spring of 2025.