Hamilton County, Ohio (September 10, 2021) Small Businesses in Hamilton County have a third chance to apply for funding through the Hamilton County Small Business Relief Grant Program. Starting next week, small businesses can apply for grants up to $10,000 to help offset business interruption costs caused by the pandemic. Applications will be accepted on Hamilton County’s COVID Relief website www.513Relief.org starting Thursday, September 16th at 12 p.m. through the deadline of Monday, October 4th, at 5:00 p.m.
“Hamilton County small businesses have faced multiple hurdles and hardships during this pandemic,” said Commission President Stephanie Summerow Dumas. “We need these businesses to survive so that they can continue to provide vital jobs and services so our local economy can recover and thrive.”
“In some cases, we are throwing Hamilton County small businesses a lifeline,” said Commission Vice President Alicia Reece. “COVID is not letting up so neither are we. This third round of business grants is to let our small businesses know that they are critical to the successful recovery of our County.”
“We’ve heard directly from businesses owners that the first two rounds came at the exact right time,” said Commissioner Denise Driehaus. “We are thrilled to be able to offer another round to help in the recovery of small businesses all over the County.”
The third round uses $4.1 million in CARES Act funding. The amount of grant funding that small businesses can request is equal to the loss when comparing 2019 gross revenues with 2020 gross revenues capped at a maximum of $10,000 (as long as the loss in revenue was at least 15 percent). Read the program outline here. Eligibility criteria includes:
- Must be a for-profit entity with a business location in Hamilton County.
- Must have been in operation as of December 31, 2019, or earlier.
- Have less than $2.5 million in gross revenue/receipts on an annual basis.
- Must have experienced a 15% revenue loss when comparing 2019 gross revenue to 2020 gross revenue due to COVID-19 public health emergency.
- Have 50 or fewer W-2 employees or 1099 workers as of December 31, 2019.
- Have Eligible Expenses directly associated with a Hamilton County business location.
- For a small business that received funding in Round 1 or Round 2 of the Hamilton County Small Business Relief Program, it has timely and properly submitted all close-out reports and requested information.
Round three is easier than ever for businesses to apply and requires less paperwork. To apply, the business owner will need three documents: 1) a government-issued ID, 2) a copy of filed 2019 and 2020 federal business tax returns, and 3) proof that your business operates in Hamilton County. This round will be a reimbursement for eligible expenses incurred from March 23, 2020 – August 31, 2021.
If the need exceeds the available funding, the County will conduct two lotteries based on business size- Lottery A is for 0-10 employees, Lottery B is for 11-50 employees. In the first two rounds of small business grants, Hamilton County funded nearly 800 businesses with $6.7 M in federal CARES Act funding.
Commissioners made the announcement in the Reading Bridal District (watch FB Live here).
