Hawaii Opens Up Grant Program To Help Small Business Recover From COVID-19 Pandemic
Many states are coming to the rescue of small businesses, helping them to survive or recover from the economic fallout that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown measures some governments enacted. Many of these states have received federal grant funds through the CARES ACT, and have used some of these funds to support small businesses and non-profit relief programs. And now, Hawaii has opened up a $25 million grant program to fund up to 2500 business, up to $10,000 each to go towards reimbursable business expenses.
The governor announced the launch of the grant, which may be a lifeline for a lot of small businesses that have seen major losses in the wake of COVID-19 and lockdowns. This is critical to being able to help small businesses all over the state that have struggled desperately from the lack of tourism that helps the state’s economy.
The grants are intended to assist businesses struggling with the financial impact of COVID-19. These businesses are urged to apply for financial assistance from the government. Affected businesses may also obtain assistance from nonprofit sources to covet the cost of utility bills and other costs. Millions of dollars in additional federal CARES Act funding have been made available through the end of the year.
Reimbursable business expenses that this grant can be used for include:
- Web design services
- Special equipment needed to ensure social distancing measures
- e-commerce costs
Gayla Young, owner and founder of Pipeline Bakery and Creamery in Kaimuki spoke to Hawaii News Now about moving her entire business online:
I had a great partnership that allows us to ship nationwide so we have kind of taken that to another level and we shipped all of our malasadas, we ship cake bombs and cookies to the entire U.S
Gov. David Ige also spoke on the grant program, saying:
This grant helps take some of the pressure off businesses, My hope is that they will make the most of this challenging situation.
Additional small business grants for Hawaii are listed here: – https://hawaii.grantwatch.com/cat/13/small-business-grants.html.