Sharpen your pencils.
Chances at winning $10,000 to improve your downtown business are available through the Backing Small Businesses grant courtesy of a partnership of American Express and the Main Street America program.
The grants are flat out gifts — no matching funds are required — to business owners of up to 20 fulltime employees. Other stipulations require the business to have a “brick and mortar” physical presence in the heart of town, as opposed to a strip mall or industrial park; that it not be a franchise; and that it be in operation on or before Jan. 1, 2023.
With an application deadline of April 7, time is of essence, said Jessica Thompson, deputy director of Thrive Allen County. To that end, Thompson and crew are setting aside next Monday and Thursday evenings from 5:30 to 7 to help applicants with the process.
This year’s grant is limited to 500 applicants, “but if they receive that many before the April 7 deadline, they’ll close the door,” Thompson said.
The good news is that, “They’ve been very intentional about making the application process easy,” Thompson said. The online form includes three 250-word essays that concern how the business got started; how the $10,000 would be used; and the owner’s involvement with the community. Photos or videos of the business are also required.
Other stipulations require that the $10,000 award be sufficient to complete the proposed project and that the money be spent within a two-and-a-half month timeframe. Awards will be announced in mid-June.
The grants can be used for just about anything other than payroll. Typical requests are for website design, computer software, signage, awnings, new lighting, solar panels, and even events, such as hosting workshops or fundraisers.
OF THE 500 successful applicants, another 25 will be eligible for an additional $30,000 Enhancement Grant, through a separate application.
The program began in 2021 to help small businesses recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.
In its first year, the program awarded $1.65 million to 330 small business owners. In its second year, more than $2.3 million was awarded to 350 businesses.
The application process is done online at mainstreet.org.
For more information, visit Thrive at 9 S. Jefferson or call 620-365-8128.
