Josephine County, area partners offer small business COVID-19 grant

Josephine County, area partners offer small business COVID-19 grant

JOSEPHINE COUNTY, Ore. — Josephine County, in conjunction with the Illinois Valley Community Development Organization and Rogue Community College’s Small Business Development Center, has created a small business assistance grant to help entrepreneurs affected by COVID-19.

Applicants for the Josephine County Small Business Assistance Grant will be eligible for up to $1,500. The application will be made available on the Josephine County website at 9 a.m. May 26 and can be submitted to the RCC SBDC immediately thereafter. Physical copies of the application will also be available at the Board of Josephine County Commissioners window in the Josephine County Courthouse, 500 NW 6th St. in Grants Pass.

The program will be supported by the county’s Economic Development fund, which the county receives from proceeds of the Oregon Lottery. The Board of Josephine County Commissioners officially approved $100,000 for this program.

Qualified applicants must be a resident of Josephine County and their business must be based in the county with 10 or fewer employees. Applicants must not have received or expect to receive any other federal, state or local COVID-19 loans or grants and the business must have experienced significant negative impacts from the COVID-19 crisis.

“The Board of County Commissioners understands many of the barriers to reopening small businesses in our area,” said Darin Fowler, board chairman. “We believe this assistant grant will give local entrepreneurs extra help in that process. We encourage everyone to stay safe and follow state and federal Phase 1 guidelines.”

To apply for the Josephine County Small Business Assistance Grant, please visit http://www.co.josephine.or.us/Page.asp?NavID=2267 and email a completed application with all necessary documentation to [email protected] after 9 a.m. May 26. Completed applications will be reviewed on a first come, first served basis. Businesses will be notified of their status in the program and, if approved, will be provided options for disbursement.

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For more information, contact Annette Sorensen at (541) 474-5221 or [email protected].