GERMANTOWN — The Germantown Town Board and its Economic Development Advisory Committee have awarded a total of 11 grants to local businesses through the Germantown Business Recovery grant program.
This effort was launched on April 24, with fiscal sponsorship and administrative support from Columbia Economic Development Corporation (CEDC), to raise additional resources for businesses located in Germantown that have been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
A volunteer committee reviewed and rated each application based on these criteria. The businesses that received grants are spread out across Germantown and met the grant making criteria, including, being an independently owned small business located in the town, 20 or fewer full-time employees, less than $1,500,000 in annual sales, adversely impacted by COVID-19, and in need of funds to continue to retain and pay their employees, and/or stay current on rent, and cover other fixed costs related to their operations.
Additional funding rounds will be dependent on receipt of donations from businesses, individuals, area foundations, and other generous contributors.
The Germantown Business Recovery grant program was made possible by generous donations from individuals in the Germantown community, including a major gift from the J.M. Kaplan Foundation.
“On behalf of the Town Board and GEDAC, we are grateful to have been able to make this program possible to help our small businesses during this challenging time. We will continue to identify resources and implement programs for our local small business community,” said Town Supervisor Robert Beaury in a press release.
“CEDC is proud to have provided administrative support, enabling the Town of Germantown to raise private funds to support small business that are impacted by COVID-19. As Columbia County’s lead economic development organization, CEDC values the many partnerships it has throughout the county,” said Michael Tucker, president and CEO of CEDC, also in the release.
