The Gloucester Economic Development Authority has developed a stimulus program to support existing businesses and recruit new ones to the county.

Businesses may be eligible to apply for five different assistance programs, said Sherry Spring, Gloucester’s Director of Economic Development. Grants will be made available to new and existing businesses throughout the county, she said, and businesses receiving other assistance, such as funds from the Main Street Preservation Trust, may also be eligible for EDA aid.

Spring said she has seen such incentives work in other places where she has been employed including Martinsville and Hampton. Most franchise and national retail chains don’t tend to apply for such assistance, which are targeted mostly to boost small businesses, she said. Incentives include:

—Rent assistance, up to $5,000 per business applicant, with the authority committing $15,000 for this incentive for the fiscal year that began July 1;

—Property impr...