Amherst County creates small business relief fund

$300K in grants will go to local companies

Published July 14, 2020 by Kate Andrews

Amherst County launched a grant program for small businesses suffering economic downturns due to the coronavirus epidemic, the county announced Tuesday.

Amherst supervisors designated $300,000 in federal CARES Act funding, which will be administered by the county’s Economic Development Authority. Applications are being accepted now for locally owned, for-profit businesses in the county for payroll, rent, utilities, restarting expenses and marketing.

The grants include:

• Up to $25,000 for Amherst-owned and operated businesses with 21 employees or more
• Up to $10,000 for Amherst-owned and operated businesses with no more than 20 employees
• Up to $5,000 for businesses in the county that are not owned locally

Eligible businesses must have been in operation since March 1, 2019, with a physical location in the county. They must be current on taxes and have a current town or county business license if required. One owner must reside in the county to be defined as “locally owned.” Businesses also must have lost more than 10% in revenue compared to the same month or quarter as the previous year, and banks and financial institutions are not eligible.

Applications and more information are available at the EDA website.

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