Everett Launching Another Round Of CARES Grants For Small Businesses

Earlier this year half-a-million dollars was given out to fifty of more than a hundred fifty-three businesses in Everett, Washington who applied for a grant to help them deal with expenses attributed to the COVTD-19 pandemic.

Now another round of grants is up for grabs to small business owners within the Everett city limits. Here’s more from the City of Everett.

The application process for round two of the Everett CARES grant program will open on Thursday, Aug. 20 at 5 p.m. for small businesses in the city of Everett. Applications are due by Friday, Sept. 11 at 5 p.m.

Round two of the Everett CARES grant program is made possible by funding provided by the federal 2020 CARES Act through the Washington State Department of Commerce. A notable update for round two is that it allows the City of Everett to award grants of $10,000 to small businesses with 1-20 employees and $20,000 to businesses with 21-50 employees.

The goal of the program is to provide a surge of resources to help Everett businesses emerge from this difficult time so that jobs will be retained, and goods and services will be provided.

The first round of the Everett CARES grant program earlier this year received 153 applications from small business of which 50 were awarded $10,000 grants. Of the 50 small businesses, 27 are owned by women, 14 by minorities, four by veterans and two by people who identify as LGBTQIA.

To be eligible, businesses must meet the following requirements:

Your small business must be licensed by the City of Everett
Your small business, whether brick and mortar or home-based, must be located within Everett city limits
Your small business cannot be a national chain
All city taxes and fees must be paid and current as of Dec. 31, 2019
You company cannot be facing any pending litigation or legal action
Your company has not had state or city compliance or regulatory issues
Your small business must currently have 1–50 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees. Owners are counted as employees. Applicants will be asked the total number of FTEs and the total number of people employed as of Jan. 1, 2020 and as of Aug. 1, 2020.

More information on eligibility and the application process can be found at everettwa.gov/everettcares.