(WSYM) — Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced that nearly 6,000 small businesses across Michigan have been awarded $52.5 million through the Michigan Small Business Survival Grant program.
“The Michigan Small Business Survival Grant Program provides crucial support to Michigan’s small businesses hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Whitmer said in a press release. “These grants, combined with additional business relief efforts offered by the MEDC, will create a strong foundation for Michigan’s long-term economic recovery. As we distribute the safe and effective vaccine and work to end the pandemic once and for all, I will continue partnering with leaders across the state and urging passage of the MI COVID Recovery plan to provide relief for our small businesses, protect public health and jumpstart our economy.”
The Michigan Small Business Survival Grant Programallocated $55 million to provide support to Michigan small businesses to meet the urgent need of businesses that experienced a significant financial hardship due to COVID-19 emergency “gatherings and face mask orders.”
The program allowed for grants of up to $20,000 to be awarded to businesses that are fully closed, with grants of up to $15,000 awarded to businesses that have been partially closed, or otherwise are open and can demonstrate an impact. A total of 5 percent of overall funding for the program was able to go toward administrative costs of the economic development organizations administering the grants.
The Michigan Small Business Survival Grants program was administered by 15 local or nonprofit economic development organizations (EDOs) covering all 83 counties across the state. The full list of EDOs administering the grants, the counties they served, and the number of businesses supported is below.
To see the full list of businesses that received Survival grants, visit https://www.michiganbusiness.org/survival/ [lnks.gd].
To be eligible for grants under the program, businesses were required to meet the following eligibility requirements:
- Had 1 to 100 employees (including full-time, part-time and owner/employees) on a world-wide basis on November 17, 2020.
- In an industry that demonstrated it was affected by the DHHS epidemic orders.
- Needed working capital to support payroll expenses, rent, mortgage payments, utility expenses, or other similar expenses.
- Demonstrated an income loss as a result of the Order as determined by the EDO in which an eligible business is located.
- Was not a live music and entertainment venue eligible for the Michigan Stage Survival grant program. Grant awards for the program to be announced in the coming weeks.
