The Small Business Customer and Employee Protection Grant Program is designed to assist local businesses purchase products and services needed for safe reopening in compliance with COVID-19 regulations. The program is supported with $ 5 million from the county’s allotment of funding from the federal CARES Act.

Through the program, a small business, particularly minority, women and veteran owned businesses, within the county or the City of Annapolis can apply for a grant of up to $10,000 to cover the cost of the following purchases:

The grant may be used as a reimbursement for eligible past purchases made after March 29, 2020. Businesses will be required to submit invoices to demonstrate proof of purchases.

To be eligible for the program, an entity must be an Anne Arundel County based for-profit business with 50 or less employees and must be in good standing with the State of Maryland.  Applicants will be required to submit a budget detailing purchases and vendors as well as financial documents such as business tax returns, Schedule C, or a profit and loss statement.  Preference for funds will be given to industries most directly affected by local/state/national quarantine rules.

 

AAEDC is currently developing a portal on its website where businesses can create an account and complete the entire application process.  To be notified of when the online application is available, interested businesses should get on AAEDC’s notification list by sending an email to grants@aaedc.org. Additional details such as application FAQs, industry safety guidelines and a list of local vendors are available on the grant program page.