Here's a message Mayor Mike Thoms received from the office of Representative Mike Halpin regarding Business Interruption Grants (BIG).
The application process begins June 26th and ends July 7th.
Dear Mayor Thoms,
Representative Halpin wanted to share with you that the application for Business Interruption Grants (BIG) is currently on the DCEO website. They are offering $60 million to businesses experiencing extreme hardship as a result of COVID-19 related closures in the form of $20,000 grants. This is only the first round, there is $210 million more to go!
There are four buckets of funding:
1. Bars and Restaurants
2. Fitness Centers
3. Barbershops and Salons
4. Zip codes that experienced property damage from civil unrest
In the first wave of grants, priority will be given to small businesses that have been heavily restricted or completely shut down during the pandemic. Additional priority will be given to businesses located in Disproportionately Impacted Areas (DIAs), or low-income areas that have had high rates of COVID-19 cases.
Your city is in the Disproportionately Impacted Area. Businesses from these zip codes will receive priority in the first three buckets.