Small business owners who have not qualified for or received any assistance from the federal government in response to the coronavirus pandemic may be eligible for a grant from the city of Sweet Home.
The city has partnered with the state of Oregon to provide an Emergency Business Assistance Grant to small businesses and non-profits in Sweet Home that have not received federal CARES Act money. Grants start at $2,500 and will be awarded to businesses based on their number of employees and fixed expenses. Grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.
“This program is a great opportunity for small business owners in Sweet Home that either have not qualified for, or received, any federal assistance,” said Blair Larsen, city community and economic development director. “In particular, some sole proprietorships or independent contractors don’t qualify for other help, but they would qualify for this, and the application process is very easy.
“Are you a hairdresser that rents space at a local salon, and you were not able to work? Applying for this program is an easy $2,500 in your pocket.”
The program was created by the state of Oregon, but half of the funds are from the City of Sweet Home, Larsen said.
“We could have chosen to have another organization administer this grant, but we chose to do it ourselves so that more money would go to needy businesses, and so that we could build relationships with our businesses,” he said.
“We don’t have business licenses in Sweet Home, so we often don’t know who is doing business in the city, and how we can help them. We hope that programs like this can lead to greater interaction between businesses and the city.”
Applications are available at sweethomeor.gov.
“A lot of folks aren’t used to applying for grants, and may be worried about the process, or may think that they don’t qualify,” Larsen said.
“I advise everyone to fill out the application and submit it, even if they have doubts. The worst that can happen is that the answer might be “no.” However, more likely than not, they will qualify, or I will ask for more information. I may have to say no to some folks, but I promise that I will be very nice about it.”
For more information, contact Larsen at (541) 818-8036 or blarsen @sweethomeor.gov.