By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
The Seattle Office Economic Development (OED) and Mayor Jenny Durkan are launching a new round of COVID-19 stimulus grants to small businesses in Seattle.
The City of Seattle Small Business Stabilization Fund, which will provide $4 million in grants to eligible businesses, will be accepting applications beginning Mon., Nov. 9, 2020 until Mon., Nov. 30, 2020.
To be eligible, a small business or non-profit must be located within Seattle city limits, have an annual net revenue at or below $2 million and have 25 or fewer employees. Non-profits must explicitly provide economic opportunity support through education programs and/or job training.
According to Durkan, her administration has worked diligently to save and provide some stability to the economic future of Seattle’s small business community and launching the expanded Small Business Stabilization Fund was one of Durkan’s first COVID-19 relief actions. To date, OED has provided 469 small businesses with $10,000 grants through the fund.
“Small businesses are the backbone of Seattle, they provide people with good-paying jobs and contribute to the cultural and civic life of our City,” said Durkan.
“The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic downturn has impacted so many small businesses, and too many neighborhood favorites have had to close their doors for good,” added Durkan. “The Small Business Stabilization Fund is a critical way for the City to invest directly in small business owners during this unprecedented time. I’m deeply grateful to the team at OED who works tirelessly to get these funds out the door and into business owners’ hands.
Lori Johns owner of Phylogeny Contemporary, Inc., an art gallery serving Seattle since 2017, is happy that city officials are taking the plight of small businesses during this dire time seriously. Small businesses are diverse in the services they provide. Due to the virus and its affects business like Johns’ had to closed their doors and although Phylogeny Contemporary as an art gallery is unique within itself, Johns’ experience was as devastating as any other. She had to close her doors and adapt to a virtual existence sacrificing the “off the street” experience that characterized her business.
Utilizing the funds provided by the city, Johns was able to transition her business to an online platform and survive. Prior to receiving the funds, Johns thought about closing her doors for good, but is now looking forward to opening her doors once again.
.“Due to the pandemic I had to close my doors,” says Johns. “And I miss that off the street traffic where people can not only purchase art but people also like to come in and browse and look at and take in art.”
“I was lucky enough to be a winner of round three of the grants stimulus,” she continued. “It was a surprise and I so very happy and honored, very honored. I had considered retirement because art is complicated and people don’t prioritize art especially in down economy, so when I got the grant I owed it to my artist community to keep going.”
The latest round of the Small Business Stabilization Fund is funded by the joint COVID-19 relief bill that the Mayor and City Council passed in August, which allocated $5.5 million for the Small Business Stabilization Fund grants and committed to spend $2.5 million in 2020, and another $3 million in 2021.
OED will be able to provide small businesses and economic opportunity non-profits $2.37 million for grants in 2020 and roughly $1.6 million for grants in 2021. Additionally, the City is committing $1.25 million in 2021 to work with community-based organizations to help improve our prioritization of grants to the most vulnerable and traditionally underserved businesses.
In an attempt to prioritize funding to businesses that are more likely to have experienced the greatest economic impacts, OED will ensure that at least two-thirds of grant recipients will be selected from applications from businesses with five or fewer employees and from areas that are identified as high risk of displacement or highly disadvantaged. Small businesses are chosen by several socioeconomic factors that identify areas of the city that have been historically ignored and more likely to be disproportionally impacted by economic shocks. All businesses and nonprofit organizations that receive a grant must commit to not reducing wages and benefits provided prior to the COVID-19 emergency.
“When OED received more than 9,000 applications in March when the Stabilization Fund was launched, we knew our COVID relief package, funded through JumpStart Seattle, must include more support for small business,” said Seattle City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda. “By expanding this vital program, we’re ensuring our small businesses not only survive this pandemic – keeping their doors open, jobs intact, and health insurance for their employees accessible – but Seattle’s economy remains resilient in the long term.”
OED has remained cognizant of the impact and how we have remained in this uncertainty longer than expected but adheres to the courage and the resilience Seattle’s small businesses have displayed.
“COVID-19 and its economic impacts have lasted longer than many of us originally anticipated. Our small businesses have been resilient, innovative, and flexible as they have navigated the initial shut down, phased re-opening, and changing consumer habits,” said OED Director Bobby Lee. “Our small businesses have been extraordinarily courageous, but they still need support, especially our BIPOC, Immigrant and Refugee and micro-businesses—many of whom were already facing hardships before COIVD-19. This grant can help our small businesses meet payroll, pay rent, or prepare in creative ways to stay open during the fall and winter months.”
Businesses owners like Johns, who provides a service in free expression through art, work to provide and bring back some semblance of normalcy. By reopening Johns does her part in providing our community life and purpose and by the local government recognizing this and providing support, small business in Seattle have an opportunity to not only survive and thrive but to impact the community in each businesses own way.
“I think it is important that we need to support our businesses, especially our creative businesses, supporting freedom of expression,” says Johns. “Support goes a lot more than just purchasing a piece of commodity, your looking into somebody’s education, their work and their historical perspective if it is done correctly.”
According to city officials, small business support has become even more essential for the livelihood of business and the communities they serve during this public health crisis. The collaboration between the Office of Economic Development, the Mayor and the City Council has made it their mission to do all that is within their power to help businesses regain their footing and promote a healthy economy.
“Our office, in partnership with the Mayor, City Council, and other City departments, is committed to holistically supporting our small business owners as we navigate this public health crisis and the economic impacts of COVID-19,” said Karissa Braxton, Communications Director for OED. “The Small Business Stabilization fund is one important tool OED has to provide financial relief to our small businesses that are doing their best to safely and creatively maintain operations, pay their rent and employees, and support their families.”
“Our small businesses are at the heartbeat of our local economy and neighborhoods. As we all do our part to support them as patrons, these grants aim to help keep our businesses open so that we can enjoy the foods, services and retail items we all love,” concluded Braxton.
To assist small business owners in preparing the information necessary to apply for a grant, OED will host two webinars during the application period. The webinars will take place: Thurs., Nov. 12, 12:00 -1:00 p.m. and one Weds., Nov. 18, 12:00 -1:00 p.m.
Interested community members can register for an SBSF information session here. In addition, OED staff are available to provide in-language assistance to small business owners. To request in-language assistance, a business owner can email [email protected] or call 206-684-8090 and leave a voice mail with the following information: Your name, phone number, the language you need in English, and what support you need.
For more information on the grants provided so far, visit OED’s interactive dashboard.
