More than 500 applications have been received for the Small Business Rapid Deployment Fund announced last week by St. Louis County. The Small Business Rapid Deployment Fund is a second round of emergency funding to assist businesses impacted by COVID-19. An additional $3 million of St. Louis County’s CARES Act funds will be distributed to small businesses and restaurants in the County’s continued response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Small businesses impacted by COVID-19 can apply for grants of $5,000 to pay for operating expenses or business costs, including rent and payroll. Qualifying businesses must have 25 or fewer employees, be located in St. Louis County, and have not received County CARES Act funds previously.
Applications for the Small Business Rapid Deployment Fund grants will remain open until 5 p.m. Monday, December 7. Businesses and restaurants are encouraged to apply as early as possible because funding may be limited based on demand.
The St. Louis Economic Development Partnership has established a hotline for questions at 314-615-1777. Full qualification details and application is available online at https://stlpartnership.com/
The Small Business Rapid Deployment Fund is being administered by the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership.
“We know that many businesses in St. Louis County are in critical need of this assistance,” said County Executive Dr. Sam Page. “While we are hopeful that the federal government will allocate additional stimulus funds, St. Louis County is doing everything we can to make the relief funds we already have stretch as far as possible.”
Earlier this year, the County awarded $19.7 million to more than 1,600 area businesses and restaurants. The additional funds come at the recommendation of the Economic Rescue Team, a group of volunteers appointed by Dr. Page earlier this year to help lead the County’s economic recovery efforts.
“We have had applications from across the entire St. Louis County region,” said Rodney Crim, CEO and President of the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership. “Our team is hard at work processing applications as quickly as possible to help local businesses thrive even during these challenging times.”