Caroline County Economic Development is accepting applications through November 30, 2020. Grant assistance is available for small businesses that experienced economic injury and disrupted operations due to COVID-19. The grant reimburses eligible expenses for County-headquartered businesses that prove financial stress due to COVID-19.

The COVID-19 response continues to impact the small business owners and employees. While some sectors of the economy have seen improvement, some community-based businesses continue to struggle. Most of these businesses are facing the same set of challenges: loss of productivity because of worker quarantining and self-isolation, lower than expected revenue, and additional expenses for personal protective equipment. The outlook for the remainder of 2020 and into 2021 is cloudy for many of these business owners.

Through a $2.2 million federal CARES grant, the County can offer some relief to businesses by reimbursing for expenses to help offset cash flow concerns. The grant is not available for future expenses, and it will not pay for expenses that were reimbursed by other federal programs, such as the Small Business Administration’s Payroll Protection Program (PPP).

In the first two rounds of grant awards, over $967,000 was awarded to small businesses. The need for those grant funds was evident as businesses came out of the initial COVID-19 response in May and June. In August, Caroline County Economic Development surveyed first round grant recipients, large employers, economic development advisory board members, and several other businesses. Most respondents said that operations were still below “normal” levels, and that they are “ok” at the moment, but that any change in status would be harmful. Nearly all the respondents reported that they had not had layoffs in the summer and that they were at full staffing levels.

The goal for this round of applications is the same as it has been since the beginning – to support hair salons and daycares, retail and restaurants, manufacturing and logistics – any business that shows it has economic injury due to COVID-19.
Information, instructions, and the grant application are available online at carolinebusiness.com.

Caroline County Economic Development is a department within Caroline County government. Its mission is to help businesses thrive in the community. Debbie can be reached at 410-479-4188 or info@carolinebusiness.com.