Contributed photo
Contributed photo
Business owners in the Gulf area affected by COVID-19 have access to quick-turnaround grants.
La Marque’s Economic Development Corporation and Texas City are providing grants to local businesses. These grants can compensate for lost revenue and assist with paying bills.
Texas City has the the Stimulus and Employee Retention Program, with $500,000 available to distribute. Qualified businesses will have 50 or fewer employees and have physical storefronts within Texas City. They can qualify to have up to two months’ of normal operating expenses covered, including rent and utilities.
La Marque’s Emergency Business Retention Program has $250,000 in funding. Businesses with fewer than 50 employees and working out of a storefront can qualify.
“If their annual sales are $100,000 or less, they can get up to $5,000,” City Manager Charles “Tink” Jackson said according to The Daily News. “If their sales are up to $3 million, they can get $25,000.”
Businesses with fewer than 50 employees and working out of a storefront can qualify. They are asked to show that their business was reduced by at least 20 percent due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The program is funded in part by sales tax from the municipalities they serve.
The goal of the grants is to support locals and to help them keep their jobs. They also will help businesses cover necessary expenses until they can receive federal stipend money, which amounts to $2.2 trillion.
“We’re going to let our businesses of 50 or less apply for grants ranging from $1,500 to $25,000,” Texas City Mayor Matt Doyle told The Daily News.
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