NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 12, 2020
MEDIA CONTACT: Matthew Johnson
Director, Planning & Community Development Department
218-725-5008
Virtual information session offered for small businesses seeking CARES Act grants
For small businesses interested in applying for an assistance grant from the county's Small Business Relief Fund, a virtual information session will be offered Thursday, August 13, at 11 a.m. Information on the session and a link to participate can be found at stlouiscountymn.gov/planning
The St. Louis County Board on Tuesday, as part of a plan to distribute the county's portion of CARES Act funding, approved $6 million in Small Business COVID Relief Grants. These grants will be distributed in two phases to qualifying businesses adversely impacted by and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Phase I is anticipated to begin August 24 and will focus on businesses and non-profits with 25 or fewer full-time employees. These businesses may apply for assistance equivalent to $1,000 per employee up to a maximum of $25,000, for COVID-related expenses incurred by the business such as to purchase PPE, cleaning supplies, signage and safety barriers.
Phase 2 is anticipated to begin on September 7 and will provide emergency grant assistance of up to $50,000 to businesses and non-profits with 100 or fewer full time employees for COVID-related expenses.
The information session will be offered via WebEx, and will include an overview of the following:
- St. Louis County Small Business COVID Relief Grant Programs
- St. Louis County potential to administer local business COVID Funds.
All interested stakeholders are encouraged to participate. The County is planning two additional online WebEx community meetings next week (August 17-21). Dates and times will be announced as soon as details are finalized. People are encouraged to visit stlouiscountymn.gov/planning for the latest details. People also may send any comments or questions to CARES@stlouiscountymn.gov.
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