The Canby City Council will on Wednesday consider a new grant program offering up to $300,000 in federal coronavirus relief funds to businesses and individuals impacted by the pandemic.
Under the Canby Resiliency Grant Program, half of the funds ($150,000) would be allocated for local small businesses who experienced financial hardship this year due to Covid-19, while the other half would be passed through partnering nonprofits to Canby residents in need of rent and utility assistance.
Businesses can apply for grants of up to $10,000 for relief due to financial losses directly related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Preference will be given to businesses that were shut down by Gov. Kate Brown’s coronavirus executive orders and those businesses that have been unable to access CARES Act funds including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), or other federal emergency pandemic funding.
All other eligible applications will be put into a lottery to award the remaining funds.
Businesses must prove they were impacted by either demonstrating at least a one-month decline in sales of 10% or more between March 2020 and October 2020 compared to January or February 2020, or compared to the same period of time in 2019.
Eligible businesses must be located within Canby city limits, have 25 or fewer full-time employees and have a current Canby business license. Franchise or chain restaurants or stores are eligible if the owners or franchisees live within the city limits of Canby.
Businesses must complete an application and W-9, verifying Covid-related financial hardship. Completed applications will be accepted Nov. 5-30. All funds from the City of Canby will be awarded and dispersed by Dec. 30.
This new program represents a continuation of several ways the city has attempted to support small businesses and residents amid the economic downturn and other challenges related to the pandemic.
Last month, the council approved the new Open Air Canby Recovery Program, which allowed businesses to expand their operations into private parking lots without a permit, and this summer waived fees for expanded sidewalk seating permits for downtown restaurants and cafes.
The city has also waived all late fees on utility and transit tax bills through December 2020.
For more information, contact Canby Economic Development Director Jamie Stickel at 503-266-0701 or stickelj@canbyoregon.gov.
