Small Business Relief Grants available

By Tara Bitzan, Executive Director, Alexandria Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce

The Minnesota Small Business Relief Grants Program is now accepting applications.

This program will provide $10,000 grants to small businesses (those with 50 or fewer employees) that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Half of the funding will go to businesses in Greater Minnesota and half to businesses in the seven-county Twin Cities metro area, as required by law.

The grants will be distributed as follows:

• $18 million for businesses with six or fewer full-time employees
• $10 million for minority business enterprises
• $2.5 million for veteran-owned businesses
• $2.5 million for women-owned businesses
• $2.5 million for operators of indoor retail and food markets with an ethnic cultural emphasis

The application period only runs through 5 p.m. Thursday, July 2. A computer-generated lottery process will be used to allocate the awards, all of which will be administered by local and regionally based nonprofits.

The grant funds can be used for working capital to support payroll expenses, rent, mortgage payments, utility bills, and other business expenses. To be eligible, businesses must have a permanent physical location in Minnesota and be majority owned by a permanent resident of Minnesota. Businesses must be able to demonstrate hardship as a result of COVID-19. More information can be found online at DEED’s Small Business Relief Grants page.