Applications now being accepted for $5,000 Save Small Business grants
The U.S. Chamber Foundation opened the “Save Small Business” program for applications Monday to provide $5,000 grants to businesses in targeted zip codes across the U.S.
Businesses applying must have between three and 20 employees, be located in an economically vulnerable community and have been harmed financially by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Funded by corporate and philanthropic partners, the Save Small Business Fund is a collective effort to provide $5,000 grants to as many small employers as we can. We hope these supplemental funds will help you get through the next days and weeks,“ according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
Businesses may apply for the grants at https://savesmallbusiness.com/. The website includes a box where a business may enter its zip code as shown on its W9 form to see if it is in an eligible area.
Several Manatee and Sarasota county zips are shown as eligible on the web site.
“Small businesses are the foundation of our communities and our economy. Employing nearly half the American workforce, companies like yours keep our neighborhoods running and make them feel like home. We know you’re facing multiple challenges right now, and every dollar counts,” the web site says.
On Friday, Jacki Dezelski, president and CEO of the Manatee Chamber of Commerce, emailed members advising of the opening of the application period for the Save Small Business Grants.
“We encourage you to reach out to our U.S. Senators and Representatives to urge quick approval of additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) of the CARES Act and SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. As you likely know, the PPP and EIDL programs are not able to accept new applications at this time due to a depletion of funds. These financial assistance programs are critically important to many small businesses’ ability to successfully navigate this crisis,” Dezelski wrote.
