Beginning Monday, August 31st, eligible Erie County Businesses may start applying for the Erie County CARES Small Business Grant. Through this initiative, the Erie County Redevelopment Authority (ECRDA) will administer up to $5 million in funds on behalf of the County of Erie to eligible businesses that have been impacted by Covid-19.

Funds will be provided to small businesses (1-100 employees) and tourism organizations (for-profit only) and may be used to support the following:

• Operating expenses incurred during the COVID-19 public health emergency
• Technical assistance, including training and guidance, for business owners and hospitality and tourism leaders to stabilize business
• Debt payment relief relative to COVID-19 expenses

Priority will be given to small businesses (1-100 employees) that:

• Were most impacted by the economic shutdown and experienced the greatest revenue losses
• Are located in areas with incomes significantly below the median income level, have high levels of poverty or higher than average unemployment rates, or have experienced significant population loss

Every effort will be made to prioritize historically disadvantaged businesses. These organizations often have traditionally experienced discrimination when seeking financial services and financial products.

GRANT TIMELINE:
Opens: Monday, August 31st
Deadline: Friday, September 11th / 11:59 pm

Award details:

• Final grant awards will be announced by late September, 2020 (awards may be announced on a rolling basis)
• Deadline for grant fund spending is Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Guidelines for funding can be found at ECRDA.net/grants. All applications must be completed online, and the required supplemental information must be attached electronically to the application.

Grants for PPE, non-profits and municipalities are also available and can be found at eriecountypa.gov/covid-19.