The Bend Chamber is pleased to announce the opening of the application process for Bend Business Resiliency Grants on Friday, September 4, 2020. The $1 million in funding for the grants came from the City of Bend’s $2.6 million allocation of Oregon State-directed CARES Act. The grants will be administered and awarded through BendNEXT, a 501(c)(3) initiative of the Bend Chamber of Commerce.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our Central Oregon economy, and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been significant. Our recovery requires investment in Bend-based businesses to protect jobs, spur innovation and resilience and assist businesses experiencing hardship. Bend Business Resiliency Grants will help with the stabilization and ongoing success of our business community,” shared Katy Brooks, Bend Chamber CEO.
“We are thankful to the City of Bend for making the funding available. They understand the need for immediate assistance to Bend businesses and we are pleased to help them expedite getting funds directly into the hands of struggling businesses,” she added.
Eligibility requirements for applicants include:
- Must be a small businesses or sole proprietorship that has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a current or anticipated revenue decline beginning after March 1, 2020 as a result of those impacts
- The principal business must be located within the City of Bend
- A business that employs 50 or fewer FTE (full time equivalent) employees
Grants will be awarded on a tiered structure based on need and company size:
- Up to $7,000 per sole proprietor
- Up to $25,000 per applicant with less than 15 FTE
- Up to $40,000 per applicant with from 15 to 50 FTE
Businesses can begin the application process by completing an application form at: 123formbuilder.com/form-5623601/form.
Applications will be accepted until 11:59pm Pacific time on Friday, September 25. The evaluation process will run through Friday, October 9, with grants being awarded the week of October 12.
