Beginning today, small business owners that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic can apply for emergency grants and low-interest emergency loans.
Commissioner Russell Edwards.
“The Athens-Clarke County Government has partnered with Winterville to create a joint development authority which has been empowered and authorized with funding to provide emergency business grants and loans to the community for employers that have one to ten employees, and have a business physically located in Athens-Clarke County, and have paid occupation tax for at least the past 2 years.”
Edwards explains how employers can receive funds.
“The loan program is going to require businesses to provide evidence of 25% revenue loss between second quarter 2019 and 2020.”
Business owners can also apply for grants.
“Must commit to a public benefit. Some of those public benefits include that they will stay open and operate at hours, and with staff, at not less than 50% of its operations per COVID, and that the applicant will make every effort to purchase goods and services locally," according to Edwards. "Businesses could be awarded up to 15 times their most recently filed occupation tax. The maximum combined award ranges from $3,751 to $20,600.”
The Application deadline for the loans is September 22nd at midnight and the grant deadline is September 30th.
