Thousands in small business grants approved in WyCo

As part of the Unified Government’s (UG) CARES Act request, the UG Commission recently approved $825,000 to support the Economic Development Department’s WYCO Loves Local Small Business grants.

The WYCO Loves Local initiative was created to encourage continued growth and provide support for small businesses in Wyandotte County. The $825,000 approved by the Board of County Commissioners will provide much-needed support to local businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Local businesses are the backbone of our community and remain critical to on-going economic recovery and future growth efforts in Wyandotte County,” stated Mayor David Alvey. “As such, today I’m pleased to announce the WYCO Loves Local Business initiative will provide $825,000 in grants to businesses that have been impacted by COVID-19. This initiative provides much-needed relief directly to local businesses, helping them offset unforeseen costs or losses resulting from COVID-19, while also encouraging them to reinvest for the future as our community continues to recover from the pandemic. Moreover, by helping local businesses succeed and grow, we simultaneously maintain and create jobs for our local workforce.”

Businesses with 1-25 employees are eligible for up to $10,000 in grant support, and businesses with 26-500 employees are eligible for up to $20,000 in grant support.

Grants may be used to address the following challenges in response to the impact of COVID-19:
• Rent or mortgage payments (excluding property tax payments)
• Accounts payable, including utilities, vendors, suppliers, and working capital expense paid, or to be paid, between March 1 and December 1, 2020
• Facility Remediation/Cleanup Costs
• Innovation to promote outdoor business to protect employee and public health
• Cost associated with additional training or virtual learning in response to COVID-19
• Increasing technology capacity to enable alternative/remote work
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Costs