BROWARD COUNTY, FL –
The County Commission is establishing a grant program using CARES Act funds for
small businesses and non-profits in Broward County to help mitigate the impacts
of COVID-19.
The Broward County CARES Act
Small Business and Non-Profit Assistance Grant Program is designed to aid small
businesses with 20 employees or less and non-profits with 25
employees or less. The program will be administered
through the County’s Office of Economic and Small Business Development,
while local partners will provide free technical assistance to applicants.
$25 million in federal CARES Act funding will be allocated to the small business grant and an additional $10 million for non-profits. These funds can be used to reimburse the costs of business interruption related expenditures caused by COVID-19’s required closures and/or operating restrictions. Funds are not a loan, and do not have to be paid back. The County is also assisting some cities with administering their CARES Act funding for small businesses, while other cities will administer their funds directly.
“Broward County
Commissioners have always been huge supporters of small businesses. Every
business in the County is important to us and we hope this one-time grant award
in the amount of either $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 (these are the
tiers of support for non-profit and for profit grants) will
provide some help to companies navigating these challenging times. We truly do
believe every little bit helps. For the profit businesses, priority will be given to small businesses located in six
of the County’s most economically distressed zip codes and to businesses
that have not previously received any federal
COVID-19 related business assistance funding such as the Economic Injury
Disaster Loan (EIDL),
CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), or the State of Florida Small
Business Emergency Bridge Loan,” said Sandy-Michael McDonald, Director of
Office of Economic and Small Business Development.
The application period is not
open yet. However, businesses can visit the newly created website broward.org/cares to learn more
about the Broward County CARES Small Business Grant and the Non-Profit Grant program including eligibility, application process, technical
assistance, and much more.
View Spanish version here.
About Economic and Small Business Development
The Office of Economic and Small Business Development (OESBD) is responsible for enhancing Broward County's economy by recruiting new and supporting existing industries and creating new employment opportunities for small and minority businesses and residents. Working collaboratively with key partners, OESBD’s mission is to promote job growth, diversify the County's industrial mix, and expand the local tax base. For more information call 954-357-6155 or visit our website. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
October 23, 2020
MEDIA CONTACT
Tatyana R. McCall, MBA
Community Relations and Outreach Manager
Office of
Economic and Small Business Development
954-357-8076
tmccall@broward.org