Stamford awards $8K COVID recovery grants to 176 small businesses
STAMFORD — After receiving 262 applications, the city has awarded grants of about $8,000 each to 176 local small businesses to aid their recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 176 grant winners announced Thursday met “all federal and local eligibility criteria,” according to a press release from the mayor’s office. Of the total, 120 are minority-owned or women-owned businesses.
Forty-three of the 176 businesses are in the food service and restaurant industry. Other winners include child care centers, hair salons, fitness studios and tourism and entertainment businesses.
“We know that a number of you struggled during the pandemic,” Simmons said during a Thursday press conference, which some of the grant winners attended. “At no fault of your own, you were forced to shut down during those very difficult days. You were forced to get creative. And you had to take on a lot of debt and enormous challenges to get through that difficult period.”
Among other criteria, a business needed to be located in Stamford, employ fewer than 60 people and have reported revenue between $25,000 and $2 million in 2021 to qualify for a grant.
Lauren Meyer, a special assistant to Simmons, said the city denied an application if the business didn’t meet all the criteria or failed to submit required documentation.
The businesses that won a grant can use the money for payroll and benefits expenses; mortgage, rent and utility payments; other operating expenses like purchases of personal protective equipment, materials and supplies; and capital investments such as equipment purchases, Meyer said.
The city accepted applications for the grant in April and May. Director of Economic Development Leah Kagan said representatives of the city’s economic development office visited more than 200 businesses to share information about the program.
“Our goal was really to make sure that we pounded the pavement and walked on East Main Street, Hope Street, West Main and really made sure that business owners were aware of this opportunity,” Kagan said at Thursday’s press conference.
When administration officials proposed using $1.5 million in ARPA funding for the grant program last year, they said their hope was for a first round of grants to be distributed in fall 2022 followed by a second round in early 2023.
The Simmons administration sought an outside organization to administer the grant program, eventually picking the Women’s Business Development Council. Simmons, who previously worked at WBDC, wasn’t a member of the selection committee.
But when they faced a lack of support on the Board of Finance for a proposed $200,000 contract with WBDC, officials abandoned their plan to hire the Stamford-based nonprofit.
Instead, the city’s Office of Economic Development administered the program, which Meyer said cost $80,738.
“The city brought on two seasonal workers to support the Office of Economic Development in administering the grant,” Meyer said. “This included creating outreach materials, conducting outreach with businesses, reviewing the 262 applicants, and distributing grant payments. The staff also spent time speaking with potential applicants, answering questions, and providing technical support to applicants.”
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