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MOUNDSVILLE -- Small businesses in Marshall County are encouraged to apply for grants to make up for funding lost in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The American Rescue Plan Act provides the Marshall County Commission with $5.9 million in federal aid to assist the community in recovering from the pandemic.
The first round of funding, around $2.9 million, was received in July.
The county commission will be using up to $1 million to provide grants of up to $20,000 to small businesses and nonprofit organizations in Marshall County who demonstrated at least a 20% reduction in revenue. Small businesses are defined as an independently-owned business employing 50 people or fewer. Reduction in revenue is measured by comparing the second and third quarters of fiscal year 2019 and 2020, using guidelines set by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
"COVID-19 really hurt a lot of small businesses and nonprofits, especially those who were already struggling," said commission president John Gruzinskas. "We are hoping these funds can help the majority of them stay in business. The application process is pretty simple."
Applications will be reviewed on a monthly basis. Entities applying for grants can expect to receive notification of award or denial within six weeks after the month in which the application was submitted.
The application can be accessed beginning Wednesday at https://westvirginia.viewpointcloud.com/categories/1097. A link to the application can also be found on the Marshall County Commission's web page, https://www.marshallcountywv.org/services/covid-19-information.
Paper copies of the application can be obtained through the county commission, which can be reached at 304-845-0482.