SEATTLE — The city of Seattle announced the creation of a Storefront Repair Fund intended to help small businesses with property damage costs in a press conference on Tuesday.
Applications will open for the program on Oct. 18, and small businesses can apply for up to $2,000 in grants for damaged storefronts. The program will be funded in part by the $2 million of federal money Seattle received for economic recovery.
Applications are first come, first serve once opened, but the fund hopes to prioritize businesses that were "disproportionately impacted by the pandemic," Seattle Office of Economic Development (OED) Interim Director Markham McIntyre said.
There are qualifications for small businesses looking to apply, as they must have under $7 million in revenue and fewer than 50 employees. The damage also must have occurred on or after Jan. 1, 2021.
Eligible property damage will include broken windows, broken doors, broken locks and etching on windows.
A pilot program for the fund already has been underway, with roughly 35 businesses receiving grants in the University District.
Money for the pilot program in the University District came from a combination of a grant from the OED and Business Improvement Area grants that totaled $40,000, according to University District Partnership Executive Director Don Blakeney.
With this new Storefront Repair Fund, the city hopes to ease the strain small businesses have been facing with regard to damaged property.
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