The Riley County Commission has distributed the first round of Riley County CARES Business Grants.
Through the initial round of this program, about $591,735.97 was granted to around 40 Riley County businesses.
These funds are the first of about $2.5 million that the county commission has set aside for small-business support.
Businesses that are eligible to receive Riley County CARES grants can receive up to $15 thousand, or $16,500 for certain businesses if they are minority, women or veteran-owned.
According to a release from the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce, eligible applicants must meet the following criteria:
• Be a for-profit business or 501 (C) 6 organization with a physical location in Riley County, Kansas and was in operation on or before March 1, 2020, is still in operation when the grant funds are received and has experienced disruption due to the COVID-19 global pandemic
• Employed and paying no more than 50 FTE employees as of March 1, 2020 (subcontractors and/or 1099 employees should not be included in the employee count)
• Has experienced business interruption as a result of the COVID-19 public health emergency
• Is not part of a bigger business with more than 50 full-time equivalent employees
• Shall not include a passive income business
Publicly traded companies and nonprofit organizations (other than 501 (C) 6) are not eligible for business grants through this program.
The Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce is in charge of the program’s screening and application process.
