851·Training

For Massachusetts businesses · 100 or fewer W-2 employees

Train your team on AI. The state pays for it.

Hands-on AI training that makes your people genuinely productive, taught by operators who use these tools every day. Massachusetts reimburses up to 100% of the cost for eligible companies with 100 or fewer employees, through the Workforce Training Fund Express Program.

Check if your company qualifies → See the courses →
Up to 100%
reimbursement for eligible MA companies with 100 or fewer employees
Up to $15,000
per company, per calendar year (subject to state caps)
~3 weeks
from application to training start

01 · Estimator

Estimate your potential reimbursement.

10people
Estimated potential reimbursement
$6,000
10 seats × $600. Eligible for full reimbursement, subject to state approval.
Course cost$6,000
Estimated reimbursement$6,000
Your out-of-pocket$0

ESTIMATE ONLY. ACTUAL AWARDS DETERMINED BY COMMONWEALTH CORPORATION.

02 · Courses in the directory

Two AI courses, listed in the Express Course Directory.

Virtual · Live on Zoom Up to 50 people
C-15331 · Listed in directory

AI Essentials for Business Professionals

Two hours that pay for themselves. A hands-on virtual session for employees across every function (sales, ops, HR, finance) on how to use the AI tools that are already changing their daily work. No prior experience required.

Length2 hours
FormatVirtual
CapacityUp to 50

What's covered

  • How ChatGPT, Claude, and Copilot really work, and where each one shines
  • Writing prompts that produce useful results on the first try
  • Knowing when to trust AI output and when to verify
  • What to never put into AI tools (data privacy basics)
  • A starter prompt library your team can use Monday morning
$600 / seat Eligible for reimbursement*
In-person · Full Day Up to 20 people
C-15332 · Listed in directory

AI Foundations for Business Professionals

A full-day, in-person working session that makes your team genuinely productive with AI, not just aware of it. Hands-on exercises tailored to each person's actual job, plus the responsible-use guardrails every business needs in place.

Length7 hours
FormatIn-person
CapacityUp to 20

What's covered

  • How AI tools work at a practical level (no jargon, no hype)
  • Hands-on prompting for the actual tasks each person does
  • Building reusable workflows: drafting, research, analysis, summarization
  • Where AI fits in your role, and where it doesn't
  • Data privacy, responsible use, and the limits of AI judgment
  • A take-home playbook of role-specific prompts and workflows
$2,000 / seat Eligible for reimbursement*

*Reimbursement amounts are determined by Commonwealth Corporation and subject to Express Program rules: up to 100% reimbursement for eligible MA companies with 100 or fewer employees (per April 2026 policy update), capped at $3,000 per employee per course, $300 per instructional hour, and $15,000 per company per calendar year. Approval is not guaranteed. We'll estimate your likely reimbursement during the eligibility check.

See if your team qualifies →

03 · Who's teaching

Taught by experienced operators.

Our instructors are operators with decades of combined experience building, shipping, and using AI in real businesses across various sectors.

You get someone who has used these tools to ship product, close deals, and run teams. Someone who can teach your people to do the same.

"If your team leaves the room without prompts they'll use Monday morning, we've failed."

Backgrounds include

04 · Start here

See if your company qualifies.

We'll confirm eligibility within one business day, usually quicker.

  • +Free, no-pressure eligibility check
  • +We confirm whether your company qualifies for Express reimbursement
  • +We help you pick the right course for your team
  • +We point you to the documents you'll need

Eligibility check

Tell us about your team.

We respond within one business day.

✓
Got it.

We'll be in touch within one business day with your eligibility status and next steps.

05 · FAQ

Common questions.

Does my company actually qualify? +
If you're a for-profit Massachusetts company with 100 or fewer Massachusetts W-2 employees, you almost certainly do. Every for-profit business in Massachusetts pays into the Workforce Training Fund through unemployment contributions, so you're already a contributor. The eligibility check above will confirm everything within a day.
What's the catch? +
Two rules trip people up. You can only get reimbursed for courses listed in the state's Express Course Directory, and you have to apply before training starts. Miss either one and the money is gone. Both of our AI courses are in the directory, and we walk you through the application step-by-step.
What does it actually cost us? +
Effective April 1, 2026, eligible Massachusetts companies with 100 or fewer employees may receive up to 100% reimbursement, subject to caps of $3,000 per employee per course, $300 per instructional hour, and $15,000 per company per calendar year. (The previous tiered rate, 100% for 1 to 50 employees and 50% for 51 to 100, was raised to a flat 100% in the WTFP April 2026 policy update.) Final award amounts are determined by Commonwealth Corporation. We'll estimate your likely reimbursement during the eligibility check.
How does the $15,000 cap work? +
The $15,000 limit is per company, per calendar year, across all Express Program grants you receive. So if you've already used $10,000 this year on other Express training, you have $5,000 left. The cap resets every January.
What's the process from start to finish? +
Four steps over about three weeks. 1. Eligibility: you fill out the form above, we confirm you qualify within one business day and help you pick the right course. 2. Application: you submit the Express application directly with the state (about 15 minutes online). The state sets your service agreement start date 21 days from submission. 3. Training: your team takes the course on company time, on Zoom or in person. We deliver it and provide an attendance roster. 4. Reimbursement: you pay the invoice, we provide the reimbursement paperwork, and the state reimburses you directly.
What documents do I need to submit? +
Four things. (1) A Certificate of Good Standing from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, with a Notice Date within six months of application. (2) A Certificate of Compliance from the Department of Unemployment Assistance verifying your WTFP contributor status. (3) A signed W-9 dated within a year of application. (4) A list of the employees you want trained. We tell you exactly where to get each one. Most companies pull everything together in a day or two.
Do my employees have to attend on company time? +
Yes. Employees must be paid at their regular rate during training, including for any pre-work or assignments. This is a hard rule. The course is short enough (2 or 7 hours) that this rarely becomes a scheduling issue, but plan for it.
Which employees are eligible? +
W-2 employees only, full- or part-time, employed in Massachusetts. Contractors, 1099s, and temps are not eligible. The training itself can include them; the state just won't reimburse for those seats.
Can the same employee take training again later? +
Not the same or similar training. The state has a five-year repeat rule: an employee can't be reimbursed for the same topic within five years of a previous Express or General Program grant that funded similar training. They can absolutely take a different course, though.
What if my team has very different roles? +
Both courses are designed for mixed audiences (sales, marketing, HR, ops, finance, engineering) and use exercises tailored to each role. The full-day Foundations course goes deeper into role-specific application. The 2-hour Essentials course is a faster shared baseline.
Is the training online or in person? +
AI Essentials is virtual, live on Zoom. AI Foundations is in person, full day, at your office or another location in Massachusetts.
Who's behind this? +
851 Training is operated by Spiegel Consulting LLC, a registered training provider in the Massachusetts Express Course Directory. Run by Max Spiegel, based in Boston. 851 Training is a service of 851 Ventures. Commonwealth Corporation administers the Express Program impartially and does not endorse any specific training provider or course.
Do you charge us to help with the application? +
No. We do not charge for information about the Express Program or for help with the application. The course fee is the only cost. You can read the program's full guidelines and apply directly at commcorp.org/express. We just make it easier.
What if we miss this year's funding? +
The $15,000 company cap resets each calendar year on January 1. If your company has already used its allocation, you can apply for the next cycle. We'll flag this on the eligibility call.

Ready when you are

Train your team on AI. Let the state pay for it.

Two minutes to check eligibility. About three weeks from there to a trained team.

Check eligibility →