$600,000 of Governor Whitmer’s Emergency Small Business Relief Funds Allocated to LEAP for Lansing Region
LEAP Working Rapidly to Get Grant Funds to Small Businesses Across Clinton, Eaton and Ingham Counties
LANSING, Mich. – Following more than a week of around the clock preparation, the Lansing Economic Area Partnership has successfully secured $600,000 from the MEDC’s Small Business Relief Program to issue 60 $10,000 grants to small businesses across Clinton, Eaton and Ingham counties that are suffering financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The application is expected to be open March 27 or March 28, 2020, through Tuesday, March 31, 2020, and will be posted on LEAP’s website at www.purelansing.com/businessrelief.
Since the emergency funds were announced by Governor Whitmer last week, LEAP has worked to develop an application portal and to establish a fair and objective application regional review process. Within this framework, LEAP anticipates contacting awardees by April 6, 2020, with grants distributed to selected businesses by or around April 8, 2020.
“Over the last week, LEAP has heard from hundreds of small businesses in the region who are struggling to stay afloat. LEAP’s survey results tell us the best thing we can do to help right now is to get grant funds out the door to them as quickly as possible,” said Bob Trezise, president and CEO of LEAP. “This will help a lot of our small businesses, but we also recognize we won’t be able to help every small business. We can make sure the funds we have to work with are allocated fairly and distributed quickly. Additionally, we hope the expertise of our review committee and local partner network will be a continued resource for all businesses in need of assistance whether or not selected for the grants.”
Small businesses wishing to apply for grant funds must be Michigan-based with under 50 employees (full or part time). Complete eligibility requirements, application scoring criteria, description of the review process, FAQ and a map of local partners able to help businesses with applying are being made available on LEAP’s website at www.purelansing.com/businessrelief.
“We’re most thankful to Governor Whitmer and the MEDC for their tremendous continued leadership,” said Trezise.
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About LEAP
The Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP) is a coalition of area leaders partnering to build a stronger community for all—working every day to grow, retain and attract business.
Category: LEAP Announcements, COVID-19