Greater Spokane Incorporated will begin taking applications today [Monday] for its OpenTogether grant program.
The program will allocate $10 million of federal Covid relief money to small businesses and non-profits to help them with their operating costs.
Cara Coon from GSI says businesses with 49 or fewer employees are eligible to apply. There are no restrictions on the size of the non-profits.
“We are asking about if a business or non-profit have already received other federal funding in dollars. That does not disqualify, but, definitely, if they have received assistance, we’re really looking to fund folks, first and foremost, that have yet to receive any sort of federal resistance," she said.
She says grants will range from $2,500-$10,000.
"Just kind of as a side note, GSI administered in April and May a Commerce grant that, statewide, had $10 million in it. We opened a two-week application period for that and received over 1,800 applications. That was only for businesses with 10 and under, for-profit businesses.”
This time around she expects about 2,500 applications. Businesses will have two weeks to get in their paperwork. It’s not a first-come, first-served process. She says a grant team won’t begin evaluating applications until after the deadline.
Coon says business and non-profit operators can find information about eligibility and how and what they’ll need to apply at the GSI website.