COVID-19 Disaster Relief & Assistance Grant
Overview
The COVID-19 Disaster Relief & Assistance Grant (DRAG) is made possible through grant funding from the Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA). The Jennings County Economic Development Commission seeks to support economic relief, job retention, and financial stability for local businesses negatively impacted by the COVID-19 disaster.
WHO is eligible?
1) For-profit, local independent (non-chain) businesses with 50 or fewer employees, including microenterprises (under 5 employees) and sole proprietorships
2) In operation as of January 1, 2020 and can demonstrate business activity at some point during 2020.
3) Must be located in Jennings County and registered to do business in Indiana
4) Must be in good standing with the State of Indiana and local municipalities
5) Gross receipts of less than $1 million per year
WHAT does the grant cover?
• A reimbursement grant program to help support business operations and employee retention by offsetting eligible expenses costs incurred between March 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021 (for new applicants) OR between September 1, 2020 – March 31, 2021 (for returning DRAG grant applicants).
• Grants of up to $10,000 per business awarded to eligible businesses to reimburse eligible expenses (see below for details)
ELIGIBLE EXPENSES FOR REIMBURSEMENT
(May request funds to reimburse one or more of these activities)
1) Employee salaries (if not covered by PPP funds)
2) Rent/mortgage expenses
3) Health & Safety expenses (ie, PPE, building/structural adjustments, cleaning supplies, etc)
4) Creative technological solutions to support remote work, customer communication, or product/service delivery (ie, online subscriptions, website maintenance, electronics, etc)
5) Equipment purchased for business sustainability
NEW APPLICANTS: Funds may be used for expenses incurred between March 1, 2020 – March 31, 2021.
RETURNING APPLICANTS: Funds may by requested for eligible expenses incurred between September 1, 2020 – March 31, 2021.
WHEN does the grant program open?
Awards up to $10,000 for eligible businesses to assist with job retention* through employee salaries, rent/mortgage payments, health & safety materials (PPE, cleaning & disinfectant products, facility protective equipment, public health signage, etc.), or technology services to accommodate remote work/change in operations (equipment purchase, installation fees, subscription fees, etc.)
*Must document that at least 51% of jobs retained benefited low- to moderate-income (LMI) workers
Applications OPEN FOR SUBMISSION for first-time applicants – Monday, June 14 at 8:00am
Applications OPEN FOR SUBMISSION for returning applicants – Monday, June 21 at 8:00am
Application Submission FOR ALL closes on Friday, July 2 at 11:59pm
HOW do I apply?
Applications are available online at https://jenningsedc.com OR by emailing a request to office@jenningsedc.com
Applicants MUST include all the following for their application to be considered:
1) DRAG Grant application &
2) Copies of ALL receipts/statements that are identified in the expense request (see chart below)
3) 2019 & 2020 profit & loss statements from tax returns (Financial documents will NOT be shared outside of the grant review committee members and will be properly disposed of after all grant recipients have been awarded
4) W-9 form
| Type of Expense | Possible Documents to Submit |
|---|---|
| Employee salary reimbursement | Payroll report, OR receipts, OR non-employee compensation report (if necessary) |
| Rent/Mortgage expenses | Mortgage statement(s), OR copies of cleared rent check(s), OR bank statement showing expense |
| Health & Safety expenses | Copies of receipts or paid invoices |
| Technology solutions for remote work/communication/product delivery | Copies of receipts or paid invoices |
| Equipment for Sustainability | Copies of receipts or paid invoices |
Submit application to office@jenningsedc.com, Subject line “COVID-19 Disaster Relief Grant – YOUR BUSINESS NAME”
Grant awardees will receive 2 complimentary business consultations with Southeast Indiana Small Business Development Center advisor AND a session with our regional Indiana Procurement Technical Assistance Center specialist. All three of these free sessions should be completed within one year of the grant award. Grant awardees will be required to report annually to the Jennings County EDC to share the impact of the grant on the business and employees for 2022 and 2023. The report will also include 1-2 pictures.