Supporting small businesses through education and consultation, across industries and around the county is what we do at West Business Development Center. Like many other technical assistance organizations during the time of COVID, we are rising to meet the moment. As in much of rural America, economic recovery happens one small business at a time and at a snail’s pace. As economic development professionals we know how incredibly difficult these times have been for our business owners, having to reassess and reimagine a business model that has served them for many years. So, it’s a profound honor to have been asked to design and implement a series of grants that will provide some gap funding for our business community to help them through this time.
On Friday, August 21 at noon, West Center will open applications for a second round of funding for the Business Resiliency and Innovation Fund. The Community Foundation and local donors are providing more than $100,000 for West Center to deliver grants of up to $5,000 to eligible applicants. The funds will be used by businesses to adapt their operations to drive long-term viability and revenue generation in the face of ongoing disruptions due to the pandemic. Businesses are eligible to apply for a grant if they are for-profit micro-businesses—defined as having fewer than five full-time employees.
Apply here.
