Round Two of the Small Business & Non-Profit Grant Program will launch on Monday, Feb. 1.
Alleghany County, the city of Covington, and the towns of Clifton Forge and Iron Gate have jointly been awarded a regional $1.6 million Community Development Block Grant by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development to support the region’s small and non-profit businesses recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
One-time grants of up to $15,000, based upon pre-COVID-19 employment levels and eligibility guidance received from DHCD, are being provided to businesses in the region to offset business impacts of the pandemic.
The grant program will be administered by the Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce and Tourism under the oversight of a management team comprised of members from each participating locality.
“The goal of the grant program is to help businesses navigate and adjust to COVID-19 demands and begin the recovery process,” stated Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Executive Director Teresa Hammond. “Small businesses in our community are resilient and we hope that these funds help to lift some of the burden they have experienced over the last several months.”
Serving as the grant program manager is Susan Knick of the chamber.
Knick stated, “Over $508,000 has been awarded to 77 local businesses so far. We look forward to expanding the program to assist additional businesses during this next round of funding and help them implement safe operating procedures, to get back up and running, ideally retaining existing staff, filling vacant positions and functioning under this new normal.”
Updated hard-copy applications will be available beginning Monday in the following locations:
• Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce and Tourism, 110 Mall Road, Covington;
• Alleghany Highlands Economic Development Corp, Suite C, 9212 Winterberry Avenue, Covington;
• Covington City Clerk’s Office, 333 West Locust Street, Covington;
• Clifton Forge Town Hall, 547 Main Street, Clifton Forge;
• Iron Gate Town Hall, 401 Commerce Avenue, Iron Gate.
Alternately, interested applicants may download the updated application from the COVID-19 Resource page on the chamber’s website, found at https://ahchamber.com/covid-19-resources/ .
“We are very happy to work with these partners and would like to thank the chamber of commerce for making this opportunity available to small businesses in the community,” said Alleghany County Administrator Jon Lanford. “We recognize how difficult these times are and hope this grant program is able to help in some way.”
“We are excited to be a part of the great work Alleghany County is doing to help local businesses through pandemic response and recovery,” said Erik Johnston, director of the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. “We look forward to continuing this partnership as the county initiates Round Two of their innovative Small Business Recovery Assistance (SBRA) program, and we hope to see more businesses supported through this program.”
Businesses and non-profits should contact Susan Knick preferably via email at sknick@ahchamber.com or by calling (540) 962-2178 with any questions.
The Virginian Review has been serving Covington, Clifton Forge, Alleghany County and Bath County since 1914.
