Va. LISC, Chesterfield County announce small business relief fund

LISC Virginia and Chesterfield County announced Tuesday the launch of the $250,000 Chesterfield County Microenterprise Relief Fund, which will provide small businesses with five or fewer employees grants of up to $10,000 for COVID-19 relief.

Funding can be used to pay for payroll, rent, utilities, vendor bills and other COVID-19-related expenses. Applications opened Monday at 8 a.m. and will be accepted on a rolling basis until all funds are disbursed. The program is intended to help business owners who are unlikely to receive funding from traditional sources, according to a Chesterfield County statement.

“We are excited to offer a program that helps Chesterfield’s smallest businesses and their employees continue to safely work during COVID-19,” Daniel Cohen, director of the Chesterfield County Department of Community Enhancement, said in a statement. 

Small businesses must have five or fewer employees (one of whom owns the business) to qualify for the program. The business owner’s household income also must fall below 80% of the area median income. Funding from the Chesterfield County Microenterprise Relief Fund cannot be used to cover costs already covered by other federal grant programs, including the Paycheck Protection Program or Economic Injury Disaster Loan. 

“At a time of great economic hardship and uncertainty, small businesses need grants to remain open, keep their employees and continue providing goods and services to their community,” Jane Ferrara, LISC Virginia executive director, said in a statement. “LISC Virginia is committed to working with its partners at Chesterfield County to help those small businesses most in need.” 

The Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors approved the use of federal CARES Act Community Development Block Grant funds for this grant program. 

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