The county is now accepting applications from county businesses and nonprofit organizations for the Public Health Emergency Grant program established to assist them during the COVID-19 emergency.

The program is designed to provide up to $75,000 in assistance to eligible entities that can demonstrate a “significant financial loss.”

Businesses and nonprofits with 100 or fewer full-time-equivalent employees would be eligible for the grants, which must be used for employee wages and benefits, taxes, debt, rent or other operating losses during the emergency.

The County Council recently approved $20 million in funding for the program.

The regulations released by the county, first reported on yesterday by Adam Pagnucco in The Seventh State, call for $10 million in initial disbursements, with the remainder to be disbursed to eligible grantees at some later date.

In addition, the immediate assistance would be limited to $10,000 to each grantee, with the possibility of additional funding. Pagnucco quotes the relevant section:

Section 5(e)(B)(8). Subject to the availability of funds, once the initial $10,000,000 reserve has been committed, applicants who qualified for more than an initial disbursement of $10,000 and applicants who qualify for a grant that have not received funding will be evaluated and the remaining balance will be disbursed.

Applicants will need to provide a series of tax-related and other financial documents as part of the application process, which is through an online system only.

In addition, applicants must have all the information and relevant documents in hand at the time they begin the application process, as they will not be able to save the application and return to complete it at a later time.

Under the legislation approving the initial $20 million in funding, 25 percent is reserved for retail businesses and restaurants.

On Tuesday, the council introduced a special appropriation that would provide an additional $5 million for the PHEG program to assist those businesses.

A public hearing and vote on the appropriation is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, April 21 at 1:30 p.m.

The county is hosting PHEG program Q&A webinars daily at 9 a.m. through Friday, April 24 (except Sundays). Questions about the program can be sent to [email protected]

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