Niagara County accepting grant applications for small business COVID-19 funds

Niagara County Legislator Rich Andres, chairman of the Economic Development Committee, on Monday announced applications are now available for Niagara County’s COVID Relief for Small Business Grant program. Niagara County was awarded $1 million in state Community Development Block Grant CARES Act funding for the program, which will be administered by the Niagara County Industrial Development Agency. 

“We continue to hear from many small businesses on how hard it has been to recover from the pandemic, in both in terms of sales and revenue, as well as overall operations with challenges like staffing,” Andres said. “Our hope is this grant program provides some relief that helps them get back on track.” 

He noted grants of up to $50,000 are available to for-profit businesses located in Niagara County with 25 or fewer employees. Applicants must be able to explain the negative affect of the COVID-19 pandemic on their business and, if applicable, show at least a 20% loss in revenue between 2019 and 2020. Grant funds can be used for things such as building inventory; purchasing machinery, equipment, furniture and fixtures; and providing working capital.

The county has also partnered with the NCCC Small Business Development Center to provide management and technical assistance services to any applicant including business planning, development of marketing strategies, cash-flow projections, and financial analysis.

The application for the Small Business Grant Program can be found at www.niagaracountybusiness.com/small-business-grant. For further information, please call the Center for Economic Development 716-278-8760.