NEW GRANT FUNDING IS AVAILABLE NOW!
The Department of Commerce is offering a new Working Washington Small Business Emergency Grant (WWSBEG) to assist small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. Small businesses who qualify for the grant program and are located within Thurston County can apply here: http://startup.choosewashingtonstate.com/covid-grants/
which will link to a Commerce page with complete instructions — download the application, fill it out electronically and email it to the Thurston Economic Development Council (EDC) at grants@thurstonedc. 64 businesses will be awarded $10,000 each. This process may take 5-6 weeks before funding occurs. These funds are limited. More information about the grant is below.
Have you applied for Federal assistance? If you have not applied for the EIDL (Economic Injury Disaster Loan) at sba.gov/disaster please do so now! The first $10,000 of that program is forgivable. More info on the EIDL and the Paycheck Protection Program can be found at https://www.sba.gov/page/coronavirus-covid-19-small-business-guidance-loan-resources
We do have a Hotline up to answer any questions you may have around local or federal resources. Call us at 1-888-821-6652
Additional resources such as unemployment information can be found on our resource page at https://thurstonedc.com/resources-for-small-businesses-impacted-by-coronavirus-covid-19/
MORE WORKING WASHINGTON GRANT INFORMATION
The Thurston EDC will prioritize applications based on the severity of the impact the business is facing due to COVID-19, including from being forced to close by the government-mandated closures, social distancing measures or illness. Awards will be approved on a case-by-case basis and are dependent on the availability of funds. The objective is to support businesses through the crisis and enable them to retain as many employees as possible.
Eligibility: Applicants should have been in business for at least one year. Please note that funding is not meant to help launch a business, but to support existing businesses who are specifically impacted by one of the executive orders and are vital members of their local community. Applicants are eligible to receive one WWSBEG award during the current budget cycle, which ends on 06/30/2021.
Grant Awards: County/regional economic development organizations will be asked to verify the size of candidate companies prior to submission. For each award, local economic/development organizations are encouraged to be judicious in discerning an appropriate and proportional amount based on the necessity to the business and importance to the local community so as to ensure that this emergency resource can be utilized by companies across communities in Washington.
Application Process: Applications will be reviewed as they are received and applicants will be accepted or denied on a rolling basis.
Approved grant expenditures: Grant funds can be used for expenses related to consulting, marketing, and training or for operational expenses including rent, supplies/inventory, utility bills, etc. Applications must include a list of proposed expenses grants will be spent on. Applications without a list of proposed expenses will be considered incomplete.
Note that payroll cannot be reimbursed via WWSBEG. Please direct all payroll needs to the Employment Security Department. The following expenses are not eligible: capitalized equipment, travel, office equipment, and computer software.
WHO: Thurston EDC & Department of Commerce
WHAT: Working Washington Small Business Emergency Grant program
WHEN: Grants opened on April 7, 2020, at 1 p.m.
WHERE: https://thurstonedc.com/resources-for-small-businesses-impacted-by-coronavirus-covid-19/
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Call the Hotline at 1-888-821-6652 or email grants@thurstonedc.com |
