New Small Business Grant Program is Available from Erie County

A new grant program created by the Erie County Department of Environment and Planning, in partnership with the Erie County Business Task Force is designed to help offer a boost to small businesses in Western New York

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Thanks to some additional funds that have been allocated to Erie County from the Federal CARES Act, more than $4.3 Million is available in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Funds to help small businesses throughout Erie County with the new Small Business Working Capital Grant Program.

Small businesses may be eligible to receive up to $10,000 in grant funds from Erie County if they have suffered an economic or revenue loss due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. Businesses that have been in operation prior to March 17, 2020, employ five (5) or fewer employees, and who have an income that is less than the HUD Section 8 Income guideline are eligible to apply for these funds.

The Small Business Working Capital Grant program is another way that we are working to help small businesses in Erie County, giving them a small amount of Community Development Block Grant funding that can be used for anything the business needs, including working capital or equipment. Small businesses have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and Erie County, the ECIDA, and the Business Task Force are teaming up and offering assistance where possible
-Mark Poloncarz, Erie County Executive

The business must also be located within one of the 34 Erie County municipalities that comprise the Erie County Community Development Consortium. Those municipalities are the cities of Lackawanna and Tonawanda, the towns of Alden, Aurora, Boston, Brant, Clarence, Colden, Collins, Concord, Eden, Elma, Evans, Grand Island, Holland, Lancaster, Marilla, Newstead, Noth Collins, Orchard Park Sardinia Wales, and West Seneca, along with the villages of Akron, Angola, Depew, East Aurora, Farnham, Gowanda, Lancaster, North Collins, Orchard Park, and Springville.

The City of Buffalo, along with the towns of Amherst, Tonawanda, Cheektowaga, and Hamburg operative and maintain their own Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) programs, and would have their own small business assistance programs.

For more information about their new grant program, and to apply; you can visit the Small Business Working Capital Grant Program website right here. You can also give them a call at 716-858-6409.