ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – The coronavirus pandemic has put a lot of small businesses in a tough spot.
Now, the City of Roanoke is offering $1 million worth of grant funding to help ease the burden.
“We want to be able to provide all the help that we can,” said Roanoke Economic Development Manager Marc Nelson.
That help comes in the form of Small Business Economic Recovery Grants.
Applications opened this week and already close to 20 businesses have applied.
“The list of uses is pretty wide: you can use it for equipment, you can use it for wages, you can use it for rent,” said Nelson.
The grant funding is from Federal CARES Act money received by the City.
Businesses with one to three full-time employees are eligible for $1,250, businesses with four to 20 employees can qualify for $7,500, and companies with 20 or more employees can cash in for $12,000.
The goal is to help businesses that still need help even after the federal Paycheck Protection Program.
“It’s meant to provide an extra level of support for businesses that they might not have gotten from those other programs,” said Nelson.
Even if businesses did benefit from the PPP, they’re still eligible for this grant funding.
“But the funding you’ve received from us cannot be used for the same things that it was used for if you got funding directly from those federal programs,” said Nelson.
Applications are will be accepted on a rolling basis until the funding runs out.
If you’d like to apply or learn more, click here.
Copyright 2020 WDBJ. All rights reserved.
