Local businesses hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic can get some help, through a new program that’s getting underway this month.
It’s the Escambia County Small Business COVID-19 Recovery Grant Program, and the list of participants reads like a “who’s who” of local economic development; the county, city of Pensacola, University of West Florida’s Small Business Development Center, the Pensacola Chamber of Commerce, and Florida West – where Scott Luth is CEO.
“We’re beginning to see sort of a second wave of the COVID impact,” said Luth. “The first wave being a direct impact on those businesses that were asked to reduce their hours, which was mostly our hospitality industry with our restaurants and service businesses related to the executive orders that came down.”
One of the things Florida West and its partners began looking at were programs set up by other communities and organizations, and how they could adapt them to help local small businesses. They came up with a local micro-grant program.
“Florida West and myself reached out to the Small Business Development Center; they were willing to administer the program,” Luth said. “And also the city of Pensacola made a contribution — $25,000 — to the program, and the County Commission made a formal commitment of $100,000.” Another $12,500 is from District 3 City Councilman Andy Terhaar's discretionary fund.
In regard to eligibility, Luth says the program defines “small business” as for-profit companies with 20 or fewer employees, which have been in business since January, 2019.
“And either a company that has been directly impacted by the federal, state, or local governments’ executive orders, or those companies that have had a 25 percent or greater loss of business income related to COVID-19.”
The award is $2,500 each per applicant or business – there’s no sliding scale. The group began taking applications this past Monday, but the official period begins Monday, April 20, and the deadline to apply is the following Monday, April 27. Luth says there are two steps to the application process.
“Step number one is to register with the UWF Small Business Development Center; the next step is to download a grant application at myescambia.com\COVID19grant,” said Luth. “Then submit that application along with any attachments or any supporting material that’s required to the Small Business Development Center. Email that in, and they will consider you for one of these mini-grants.”
The applications will be reviewed in the order received, to make sure they meet the minimum criteria, and to ensure there has been a major impact to the company related to the pandemic.
“I would hope that within the next week to 10 days after the closing date, they will begin to make awards for the grant program,” said Luth. “We’re probably looking at — I would guess — maybe first-second week in May.”
It’s expected, says Scott Luth at Florida West, that they will have enough applicants to award all of the grant money that’s now available.
“Both agencies have asked for us to work with SBDC and the Pensacola Chamber to bring back a report to the county and to the city,” Luth said. “And I think from there they would make a determination whether additional funds would be available to be put into the program.”
The Escambia grants will be awarded to businesses throughout the entire county to ensure that all districts are represented. The city of Pensacola’s contribution will be awarded to businesses within the city. And, through their partnership with UWF’s Small Business Development Center, applicant information remains confidential per state law.