Carroll County Small Business COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund

For more information:

Contact: John T. Lyburn, Director of Economic Development
410-386-2070

For Immediate Release

Carroll County Small Business COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund To Open for Applications

Westminster, MD, Tuesday, April 7, 2020 – The Carroll County Board of Commissioners voted on March 31^st to pursue the establishment of a $500,000 Carroll County Small Business COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund, to offer working capital to assist Carroll County small businesses with disrupted operations due to COVID-19. The Carroll County Department of Economic Development worked with the Comptroller, County Attorney and the Industrial Development Authority to establish the fund.  The application portal will open April 7, 2020 at 5:00 PM.

Businesses must apply online at https://carrollbiz.org/ and meet the following conditions to be considered for the $1,250 grant:

• • Businesses must have been established prior to March 5, 2020 and have between 2-25 full-time employees at that time
  • Business must have a Carroll County location and be in good standing with the State of Maryland and Carroll County
  • Eligible uses include working capital to support payroll, rent, mortgage payments, utility expenses or other similar expense that occur in the ordinary course of business operations

The following uses are not eligible for funding:

• • Non-profits
  • Medical service providers
  • Home-based businesses: A home-based business is defined as a business that is located in a residence with no other physical location.

The following information is necessary to complete the application:

• • Federal Tax ID # (EIN)
  • Maryland Department of Assessment and Taxation Department ID #
  • Number of full-time (FTE) employees prior to March 5, 2020
  • Business mailing address and description
  • Purpose of the request

Applications will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis with the application portal opening today at 5:00 p.m. at https://carrollbiz.org. Once the applicants are verified and approved, pending funding availability, the applicant will receive the grant check via the mail.

“Small businesses are the back bone of our economy and community”, said Board of Commissioner Vice President Ed Rothstein, “We are fortunate to have the partnerships and resources in place to respond quickly to the harsh effects of the COVID-19 health crises and offer this small business grant to our local businesses.”

Carroll County Director of Economic Development Jack Lyburn shared, “Our economic development team offers business support to large and small businesses year-round. This special emergency grant fund will help many of our small businesses with critical capital at this challenging time. The county also provides matching funds for the Carroll County Small Business Development Center (SBDC), which is currently offering no-cost counseling and webinars to help businesses understand the numerous business resources available during the COVID-19 pandemic. Visit the SBDC Northern Region website to connect.”

About Carroll County Department of Economic Development
The Carroll County Department of Economic Development is a results-oriented team that creates competitive business solutions. To learn more about the programs or opportunities available in Carroll County email info@carrollbiz.org, visit https://carrollbiz.org, follow @CarrollEconDev on Twitter or call 410-386-2070.

# # #