St. Louis County Executive Sam Page unveiled the Small Business Relief (“SBR”) Program on Friday May 1st. The SBR will provide grants of up to $15,000 to businesses that were closed due to the Stay at Home Order. The funding comes from the $173.5 million in federal aid the County expects to receive with regard to the ongoing pandemic. The grants can be used to pay for business interruption costs (e.g. fixed operating costs incurred while the business was closed under the Stay at Home Order) and costs incurred to safely reopen the business (e.g. personal protective equipment and improvements necessary to protect employees and customers).
In order to qualify for the SBR grant, a business must have its principal place of business in St. Louis County, must have had 50 or fewer full-time employees as of March 1, 2020, and must have been closed during the Stay at Home Order. Additional restrictions apply to one or more businesses with 25% or greater common ownership, businesses connected to elected and/or appointed officials within the County or any of its municipalities, and businesses that are not in good standing with the County.
Interested businesses can find additional information and apply for the grant here: http://stlcorona.com/resources/small-business-relief-program/
If you have questions or wish to discuss these matters, please contact us.
Sincerely,