Whatcom has $3 million for COVID-19 recovery grants. Here’s how businesses apply
A new Whatcom County program is offering more than $3 million in grants to help small businesses and nonprofit organizations recover from the economic downturn caused by the new coronavirus pandemic.
It’s called Whatcom ReStart, and it offers up to $15,000 to businesses and nonprofits across the county from a pool of $2.6 million, according to a statement released Wednesday, July 15, from Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu.
Licensed child-care operators can apply for similar grants from a separate $800,000 pool with no cap on grants.
Funds are available to businesses that employed up to 25 people before the pandemic to cover expenses and losses caused by the pandemic and related closures ordered by the government.
Money comes from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act that Congress approved in March.
Whatcom County and its seven incorporated cities received $16.3 million as part of the relief package to help Americans struggling with economic hardship in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
Sidhu and the mayors of Bellingham, Blaine, Everson, Ferndale, Lynden, Nooksack and Sumas agreed to combine their CARES Act funding to use it in ways that would best help the entire county.
“By joining forces, combining county and cities’ CARES Act funding, we are able to increase the reach and efficiencies of our response effort,” Sidhu said in the statement. “I am very pleased with the level of cooperation and willingness of each jurisdiction to work collaboratively for the benefit of all our communities.”
Part of the grant funds are set aside for “ground-floor, front-facing businesses in the City Center and Fairhaven districts of Bellingham,” the statement said.
Bellingham also directed some of its federal funds for emergency management, and to address food programs, homelessness and housing.
The Regional Economic Partnership will administer the grant program, its director, Don Goldberg, said in the statement.
“Whatcom ReStart is designed to give a meaningful boost to local small businesses and their employees. We want these grants to have the greatest possible impact on our economy and community to foster resilience as we move forward. Both the eligibility requirements and the application scoring guidelines were developed with this in mind,” Goldberg said.
In addition to these business and economic response efforts, CARES Act funding has also been dedicated to support the public emergency response, food and housing security, and services and facilities to those living unsheltered.
Information about grants, including eligibility guidelines and applications, is on the Whatcom ReStart page of the Port of Bellingham website.
Grant applications will be accepted Thursday, July 16, through July 31, the statement said.
Funding decisions are anticipated in August and funding is expected to be disbursed in September.
