UPDATE 7/19/2021: When Governor DeWine announced the launch of these grant programs in June, the grant fund totaled $155 million with money made available by the Ohio General Assembly through Senate Bill 108 and Senate Bill 109. On July 1, the fund doubled to $310 million when the new fiscal year budget was approved by the Ohio General Assembly and signed by Governor DeWine.
$155 million in grants is now available for small- and medium-sized Ohio-owned businesses to aid in their pandemic recovery. Announced Friday by Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, the funds are being offered through four grant programs: The Food and Beverage Establishment Grant, the Entertainment Venue Grant, the Lodging Grant and the New Small Business Grant.
The Food and Beverage Establishment Grant will provide grants of up to $30,000 to Ohio restaurants, bars, coffee shops and other food and beverage businesses impacted by the pandemic. $100 million has been set aside for this program, and the amount of individual grants will be determined by the business’ loss of revenue in 2020.
The Entertainment Venue Grant will provide grants of up to $30,000 to theaters, music venues, spectator sports venues, museums and other entertainment establishments impacted by the pandemic. $20 million has been set aside for the program. The amount of individual grants to eligible businesses will be determined by the business’ loss of revenue in 2020.
The Lodging Grant will provide grants of up to $30,000 to hotels, motels and bed and breakfast operations impacted by the pandemic. $25 million has been set aside for this program, and the amount of individual grants to eligible businesses will be determined by the business’ decline in occupancy rate in 2020.
The New Small Business Grant will provide grants of $10,000 to small businesses that were established between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2020. $10 million has been set aside for this program.
“These four new grant programs will help industries that experienced losses over the last year because of the pandemic,” said DeWine in a statement.
The four programs will be administered by the Ohio Development Services Agency. Applications will open Tuesday, June 29 through an online portal. Businesses can apply for only one of the grant programs, and will choose which to apply for after launching the application. The grants will all be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.
Eligible businesses:
- Must have experienced at least a 10% reduction in sales/revenue in 2020 at one or more Ohio locations as a result of COVID-19, with a grant being necessary to help it recover from the impact of COVID-19
- Must have at least one physical location in Ohio
- Must have been in continuous operation since at least Dec. 1, 2019, except for interruptions required by COVID-19 public health orders, and have the ability to continue operations as a going concern, taking into account a potential program grant
- Must be in good standing with the Ohio Secretary of State, the Ohio Department of Taxation and any other governmental entity charged with regulating the business
If you have questions about the grants or your eligibility, please contact Jennifer Hart at jmh@kjk.com or 216.310.4917.