TAUNTON — Bristol County Savings Bank, headquartered in Taunton, presented a $10,000 grant to the South Eastern Economic Development Corporation for its loan reserve fund at a ceremony held recently at SEED’s office also in Taunton.

Specifically, the grant went toward SEED’s SBA Micro Loan Program which provides gap loans up to $50,000 to small businesses whose owners and 50 percent of its employees meet the Low to Moderate Income Criteria. The loans are made for startups and new and existing small businesses who cannot meet traditional bank credit criteria.

As a regional nonprofit economic development corporation certified by the U.S. Small Business Administration, SEED Corporation focuses on job creation by financing all types of small businesses in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Each year, SEED makes an average of 120 loans and provides technical assistance to over 1,500 existing and prospective entrepreneurs.