City of Chester issued the following announcement.
The city of Chester is pleased to announce that it was able to distribute more than $42,000 through its Micro Enterprise Grant Program to 12 local businesses that have experienced hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chester received $750,000 of federal funding through the Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) Program to assist the city with its response to the effects of the virus. With this funding the city allocated $50,000 to support local businesses.
“This pandemic has caused tremendous difficulties for millions of people all throughout the world,” said Councilman William Morgan. “More specifically, the virus has negatively impacted city operations and that of our local business owners. That is why it was important for us to create the Micro Enterprise Grant Program with the sole purpose of offering support to our struggling local businesses.”
With the help of the Chester Economic Development Authority (CEDA) and Entrepreneur Works, 12 businesses have received an average of $3,500 in grant money to date. “Our office (CEDA) took lead with administrating the grant program on behalf of the City,” said Lisa Gaffney, Executive Director of CEDA. “We were able to receive all of the applications and work in partnership with Antoinette Truehart at Entrepreneur Works to identify eligible candidates who met the program criteria and were in financial need.”
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Micro Enterprise Grant Program
The city of Chester’s Micro Enterprise Grant Program was created in May 2020 in response to the negative impact of COVID-19 on local businesses in the community. Funding for the program comes directly from federal financial assistance through the Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) Program. Eligible candidates must have a Micro Enterprise Business located in the city of Chester and demonstrate the need for financial assistance as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. A Micro Enterprise Business is classified as a business with five or fewer employees, one or more whom own’s the enterprise Additionally, to qualify for the grant, at least 51% of the employees must have low to moderate income.
Entrepreneur Works
Entrepreneur Works is a nonprofit organization that offers access to microloans, business training, and one-on-one guidance to hundreds of entrepreneurs each year, empowering small business owners from all walks of life to succeed, prosper, and build sustainable communities.
| TM Café LTP First, Inc. | $5,000 |
| Sirrah Care Professionals LLC | $5,000 |
| Howling LLC | $5,000 |
| C-Pride Taxi Company LLC | $5,000 |
| LA Taco Bistro | $4,000 |
| Peculiar Travel LLC | $3,500 |
| C. Davis Consulting LLC | $3,000 |
| MJ Motion Management, Inc. | $2,800 |
| Headliners Barbershop | $2,600 |
| Amazing You Events LLC | $2,500 |
| Quest 2B Elite LLC | $2,300 |
| J. Nicole Merchandising Agency | $1,900 |
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