Businesses may be eligible for grants up to $10,000.
Roanoke County Economic Development Department announced a newly created $1,000,000 grant program aimed at helping small businesses in the County and Town of Vinton recover from the negative impacts of COVID-19 closures. With funding from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the grants will help businesses cover such things as operating expenses (e.g., payroll, rent, supplies, etc); pivoting to respond to new market conditions (e.g., developing online sales, etc); and ensuring worker and customer safety (e.g., deep cleaning services, personal protective equipment, etc).
These one-time grants will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis with applications accepted beginning July 6, 2020. Individual grant amounts will be based on the number of employees of a business pre-COVID-19, with the maximum amount capped at $10,000.
To be eligible, a business must:
- be an existing for-profit business located in Roanoke County with fewer than 500 employees;
- be current on all fees, permits and taxes as of March 1, 2020;
- have been in business for a minimum of one year prior March 1, 2020;
- have at least one (1) employee (excluding owner);
- possess a valid Roanoke County (or Town of Vinton) business license;
- demonstrate negative impacts from closure (mandated or voluntary, full or partial) due to COVID-19.
“Business closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic created a great hardship for employees, owners, customers, our community and our economy,” said Jill Loope, Roanoke County Economic Development Director. “Throughout the pandemic and closure, we have been in contact with businesses to connect them to resources and help them recover. And while the amount of money we are able to grant can never begin to make everyone whole, we believe the grant program will be of significant help to many.”
For more information on the grant program and to apply, please see www.yesroanoke.com
