The Port of Bellingham’s Regional Economic Partnership is launching a limited fund grant program sponsored by the Department of Commerce. The Port of Bellingham has $100,000 to fund the Small Business Relief Program.
The grant application period opens May 31, 2021 at 8:00 AM PST and closes on Monday, June 7, 2021 at 11:59 PM PST.
The grant application is here and should be emailed, ideally as a completed PDF, to whatcomado@portofbellingham.com.
Eligibility:
Business must be physically located in Whatcom County
Must have been open starting on or before January 1, 2020
Must have been impacted by COVID-19
Must show a revenue loss or not a significant revenue increase
Must be a for-profit business (non-profits not eligible)
Must have no more than 25 FTE or equivalent full time employees
Must show proof of eligible qualifying expenses not used for previous grants (no double dipping)
Maximum grant amount: $25,000
Minimum grant amount: $10,000
Before you start:
You will need to have your Q4 2019, Q4 2020 financials as well as Q1 2021 profit and losses
List of previous grants awarded and amounts
List of any EIDL or PPP or other loan(s) received
REP has limited funds and this is a highly competitive grant.
All aspects of applications will be taken into consideration when making the selection process.
However, when reviewing applications particular consideration will be given to applicants that:
Did not receive other grant funding (1.0-4.0 and Whatcom ReStart, in particular) or received small grant amounts
Business located in a geographically challenged area of Whatcom County (rural areas or places heavily impacted by the border closure)
Amount of losses due to COVID-19
Number of employees/jobs the business supports
Heavily impacted industries/sectors