Baltimore County Small Business Covid 19 Grant Relief - May 11th REMINDER First-Come, First-Served basis

Dear Baltimore County located MBE/WBE Business Owners,

On Tuesday, Baltimore County announced the new Small Business COVID-19 Emergency Relief Grant which will begin taking applications on May 11^th.  This program will award grants of up to $15,000 each to more than 650 Baltimore County-based small businesses on a first-come, first-served basis.  A program goal is to award at least 25% of grant funding to women and minority-owned businesses.

Funding will be very limited.  Review the  Grant criteria, application and terms listed below.  To maintain an equal and fair process, Baltimore County staff are not in a position to provide direct verbal or email responses to submitted questions, and we advise businesses to consult with their financial and legal advisors regarding any company-specific questions and considerations.

In an effort to ensure that all potential grantees have equal access to questions and answers, the Department of Economic and Workforce Development posted a selection of frequently asked questions (FAQs) and responses that are relevant to all potential grant applicants on the County website at www.baltimorecountymd.gov/smallbizgrant.

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New! Baltimore County offers COVID-19 emergency relief grants and grants for small business and individual artists

County Executive Johnny Olszewski announced today that the County has allocated $10 million in new grant funding to help Baltimore County’s small businesses, plus $100,000 for stipends to individual artists.

The Department of Economic and Workforce Development will administer the Baltimore County COVID-19 Small Business Relief Grants Program, which will award grants of up to $15,000 each to more than 650 Baltimore County-based small businesses on a first-come, first-served basis. A program goal is to award at least 25% of grant funding to women and minority-owned businesses.

Grant criteria, application and terms 

Grant applications will be posted on the County website and will be accepted beginning on May 11, 2020. To qualify for this grant program, small businesses must retain at least half of the workforce they had prior to January 31, 2020,which must have included at least two non-owner employees prior to Maryland’s Stay at Home Order. They must also:

• demonstrate that they have lost at least 40% of their revenues since the Stay at Home order began,
• certify that they have not obtained other forms of federal or state COVID-19 assistance or relief at the time of application,
• have at least two employees who are not owners or part-owners,
• have no more than 25 employees per Baltimore County establishment,
• have been in operation for at least one year as of January 1, 2020, and commenced operations by December 31, 2018 or earlier, and
• be in good standing and not in default with the State of Maryland and Baltimore County.

Grant funds may only be used for payroll, operating expenses, business lease or rent, and inventory acquisition vital to the business, with at least 30% of the funds used to support payroll for non-owners. Funds may not be used for capital improvements or personal expenses, and if a business fails to reopen, all grant funds must be returned to the County within 14 days.

Go to baltimorecountymd.gov/smallbizgrant for more details.

Grants for professional artists, musicians and performers 

As part of his commitment to the local arts community, County Executive Olszewski is making available $100,000 to provide $1,000 stipends for up to 100 artists to help them recoup some of their financial losses due to the pandemic.

Grants will be available on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are depleted, and priority will be given to lower income artists, making $37,500 or less per year. Applicants will submit a streamlined application, document their artistic portfolio, and must be adult Baltimore County residents over the age of 18. More information is available on the Baltimore County Office of Tourism and Cultural Arts webpage, and grant applications will be posted on May 11, 2020 at baltimorecountymd.gov/individualartist.