County Offering $5,000 Grant to LGBTQ+, Business Owner of Color

The Clackamas County Queers and Allies Employee Resource Group is offering a one-time $5,000 award to a local business impacted by the Covid-19 and owned by people who identify as LGBTQ+, or Black, Indigenous or a person of color, or both.

The county said this award will come from reallocated funds that would have supported local businesses in the 2020 Portland Pride Parade that was canceled due to the pandemic, and recognizes the disparate impact that Covid-19 has had on LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities.

To be eligible, a business must be owned by people who identify as LGBTQ+, BIPOC, or both; located in Clackamas County and experiencing a Covid-19-related hardship.

Preference may be given to owners with intersectional identities and businesses providing critical services to marginalized communities, the county said.

Interested parties should fill out the county’s application here and email it to Kelly Blixhavn at kblixhavn@clackamas.us and Erin Ruff at eruff@clackamas.us.

Applications are due by Dec. 31, and the award will be announced by Jan. 15, 2021.

A wide variety of free services for all small businesses in Clackamas County impacted by the coronavirus pandemic is available at the county’s network of Business Recovery Centers, including one in partnership with the Canby Area Chamber of Commerce.

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