Deadline to apply is Dec. 1, Chamber will award funds Jan. 15
Small business in Mitchell County that are recovering from the effects of COVID-19 may be eligible for additional financial support. The Mitchell County Chamber of Commerce and Mitchell County Development Foundation are partnering to offer Small Business Relief Grants to qualifying businesses in Mitchell County. The program received $25,000 in funding from the Duke Energy Hometown Revitalization Fund to assist small businesses affected by the COVID pandemic.
According to Mitchell County Chamber Director Patti Jensen, applications are now open online for businesses to apply. The deadline for application is Dec. 1.
We Are Mitchell Small Business Emergency Relief Fund was created by the chamber and the MCDV to support local small businesses during the COVID-19 epidemic.
“Business can complete a grant application for up to $1,000,” said Jensen. The application will be reviewed by a committee of foundation, chamber, and other partner organizations. To be eligible for a grant a business must meet the following criteria: Must be in good standing with regard to state and local taxes and licenses; have primary operations in Mitchell County; have less than 50 full-time employee. Preference will be given to businesses that are independently owned, have been operational for 12 months or more, and have a brick-and-mortar location in Mitchell County.
“So many of our businesses were hit in different ways,” said Jensen. “I would say the early mandatory closures of “non-essential” businesses hurt our local business owners. Retail, restaurants (indoor dining closures affected our local restaurants), and lodging establishments were also affected when the county enacted a local mandated closure on their establishments. However, I would say that every business has been impacted in one way or the other whether it was due to closures, loss of customers, shortages of supplies and especially labor shortages. In addition, many businesses had to find ways to alter their businesses to include outdoor dining, creating plexiglass barriers at check-out counters, purchasing protective supplies such as masks and hand sanitizers and finding new ways to handle an increase in take-out orders and online orders as well.”
The grant is intended to help small businesses recover or “pivot” as a result of COVID-19. A pivot may include adding enhanced service or commerce opportunities for the business to adjust to the effects of the crises, such as modifying physical space, improving an e-commerce site for online sales, or expanding capacity for delivering goods and services. Some expenditures may include furniture for expanded outdoor dining, materials for construction of takeout windows, accessibility compliance for additional outdoor seating, additional fixtures required for compliance with public health issues, and building of e-commerce platforms, as well as other equipment or tools needed for creative adaptation and pivoting of businesses.
Applications will be taken until Dec. 1. Grant awards will be made by Jan. 15, 2022. The application can be located by visiting www.mitchellcountychamber.org and clicking on the top article in the News and Events section. For additional information call 828-765-9033.