On September 8th White Pine County began accepting applications for a small business grant program designed to help businesses deal with the impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The applications will be accepted through October 6th and grants will be awarded on an as needed and first come first served basis. For details on eligible businesses and funding amounts, and to preview the application, please visit the Nevada Association of Counties website.
“Small businesses are the lifeblood of our local economy, when they are strong, we are strong. We know that businesses and their employees were struggling during the restrictions and closures as a part of the response to the pandemic. The County is committed to assisting those in need as much as possible.” Richard Howe, Chairman, County Commission
You must have a State of Nevada business license and the business must be located within White Pine County (this includes businesses in the City of Ely), to be eligible. The County has also partnered with the University of Nevada’s Small Business Development Center to assist businesses with the application process. Request free and confidential assistance at www.nevadasbdc.org or call 800-240-7094 to make an appointment with a counselor through one of their 13 statewide locations.
The funding for this program comes from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. We urge all eligible businesses impacted by COVID-19 to seek grant funding through this program, for further questions please visit the grant application website.
More Details on the Program
- White Pine County is providing a Small Business Grant Program from federal CARES Act funding.
- All small businesses with 50 employees or less that are located in White Pine County (including within the City of Ely) are eligible except for adult oriented businesses and federally prohibited businesses (cannabis).
- The business must be able to demonstrate financial hardship due to the pandemic. (This can be due to temporary business closure, decreased customers, increased expense to provide required items or other industry specific impacts caused by the pandemic.)
- In order to demonstrate financial hardship due to the pandemic the business must have been in operation 6 months prior to the pandemic. (For purposes of this criteria the pandemic began on 3-15-20 and the business must have opened on or before 9-15-19.)
- Sole proprietors and home-based businesses are eligible as long as they are not covered by another business.
- Businesses must have a State business license to be eligible.
- Grants are available for working capital for such things as payroll, rent, utilities, inventory costs as well as personal protective equipment (PPE) and facility retrofits necessary to mitigate COVID-19.
- Amounts that are available are $5,000 for businesses with 1-10 employees and $10,000 for businesses with 11-50 employees.
- Funds are not available for revenue replacements and documentation of expenses will be required.
- Businesses that have received other federal small business assistance or rental assistance through GOED due to the pandemic are still eligible as long as they don’t apply for items through this program that have already been reimbursed through another program.
- These are grants-not loans. As long as documentation of expenditures is provided, none of the grant is required to be repaid.
- Applications can be submitted through the online portal (see link above) and will be accepted through October 6.