//Businesses can now apply for Greenville County COVID-19 relief funds

Businesses can now apply for Greenville County COVID-19 relief funds

Greenville County is now accepting applications from small businesses and other entities for COVID-19 relief funds as part of the $91 million the county received from the federal government in late April.

Of that money, $70 million is being allocated to go directly to local small businesses and nonprofits, with an additional $5 million earmarked specifically for minority-owned businesses.

Click here to apply

To qualify, small businesses and nonprofits must have between one to 50 employees located in Greenville County and must have been in operation since Sept. 1, 2019.

Funds are nonrecurring and can be spent to offset expenses associated with reopening or relaunching the business in question with social distancing and other safety precautions directly resulting from COVID-19. These include:

  • Equipment
  • Supplies
  • Processes
  • Building/equipment modifications or adaptions
  • Operation procedures due to COVID-19

Minority small businesses, which are defined by the county as being 51% owned by one or more individuals who are “both socially and economically disadvantaged,” are eligible to apply for the general $70 small business relief fund or the $5 million minority small business relief fund, but cannot apply for both.

The county is allocated the remainder of the funds as follows:

  • $4 million for public health, which includes medical facilities, public health organizations and nonprofits caring for older adults and vulnerable populations who have experienced unforeseen expenses due to COVID-19
  • $3.5 million for housing and rent assistance, which will be dispersed by the Greenville County Redevelopment Authority
  • $3.5 million for special purpose districts, county-affiliated agencies and municipal government funds
  • $1.71 for childcare providers, which includes providers that are currently open or intend to open by Labor Day at the latest; faith-based providers are eligible to apply, although all providers should apply quickly, as funds will be available on a first-come, first-served basis

The CARES Act requires that payments from the COVID-19 relief fund only be used to cover expenses that are “necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency resulting directly from the virus,” according to a statement from the U.S. Treasury Department. The funds cannot be used to cover lost tax revenue and can only be used to cover costs that were incurred during the period that began on March 1, 2020, and ends on Dec. 30, 2020.

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