Tarrant County wants to get out the word that it still has millions of dollars in the pot to help small businesses impacted by COVID-19.
"We want to help you as best we can. We want you to stay in Tarrant County. We want you to be successful in Tarrant County. We want to get the word out. And we want you to go apply," said Tarrant County Economic Development Manager Maegan South as she talked about a new grant program.
County commissioners set aside $25 million from the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act for the Small Business Workforce Recovery Grant Program.
The application period opened July 11. So far, almost 3,000 small businesses have applied for grants up to $27,500. The deadline to apply is August 31. Application information is here.
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"We as the county know that small businesses are still struggling to recover from this. They're having a real difficult time right now maintaining their workforce, being able to have money for training employees, retention," South said.
To qualify, businesses must have had 50 or fewer employees during the first quarter of 2020. The business must be located within Tarrant County and includes those in the Fort Worth city limit.
Industries eligible include:
•Tourism, Travel and Hospitality (travel services, hotels and motels, event and
entertainment venues, sporting facilities, convention and visitors bureaus, outdoor plazas
and markets)
• Non-Profit Service Providers
• Arts & Culture (theatre, dance, music, artists)
• Food Service (restaurants, caterers, bars, lounges, taverns, mobile food trucks, etc.)
• Construction and Landscaping (planning and services)
• Gym/Fitness
• Healthcare (acute, primary, and rehabilitation centers)
• Mortuary Services
• Manufacturing
• Personal Care Services (hair, tanning, and nail salons, barbers, estheticians, spas,
massage, tattoo parlors, etc.)
• Retail stores that do not sell essential household goods.
