As we enter the second month of disruption as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Arlington Economic Development wanted businesses to be aware of the following:
First, we wanted to thank all of you who participated in our March COVID-19 business survey. We received more than 600 responses from a wide variety of businesses across Arlington County and learned of disruption in quite a few business sectors. The most pressing need reported was for financial assistance.
In response, during a special work session on April 16, the County Board approved the Arlington Small Business Emergency GRANT (Giving Resiliency Assets Near Term) Program to provide immediate relief to Arlington’s small businesses. This GRANT Program will provide grants of up to $10,000 to Arlington businesses with fewer than 50 employees that have been directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses may use grants for employee salary and benefits and other business capital and operating expenses. To learn more about the program, sign up for updates on the application process.
While the feedback from that initial survey was instrumental in helping us secure this grant program, we realize that business situations may have changed greatly. We are now under a Stay at Home Executive Order. More businesses have had to modify operations. Each week is bringing new challenges, and so we now need to get a more updated pulse on the community. Please take a few moments to complete this new survey so AED can continue to assist you. This survey will remain active through April 30. Some of the questions may seem repetitive, but we ask for your participation to help us continue to monitor the situation and develop appropriate communications and resources.
And finally, don’t forget we have a full COVID-19 resource area to bring you the latest information on the programs available to the business community.
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