West Hartford Has $2M To Spend On COVID Relief

WEST HARTFORD, CT — COVID's impact for many folks may be on our collective backburners as summer continues, but for business owners and nonprofits, the recovery and impacts remain.

That's why the West Hartford Town Council this week approved the "Small Business and Non-Profit Recovery Grant" at its meeting Tuesday.

Starting next week, the program will be officially launched and businesses and nonprofits can then apply for a $10,000 share of $2 million the town has to spend on it.

In addition, informational webinars are scheduled for later this month for prospective applicants to learn more about the program.

The grant provides one-time direct financial assistance up to $10,000 to eligible West Hartford businesses and non-profit organizations with 50 or fewer full-time employees (FTE), has operations in West Hartford and can demonstrate they have been adversely impacted by the pandemic.

Tuesday, the council allocated $2 million to support this program, which came from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), also known as Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF).

Kristen Gorski, West Hartford's economic development coordinator, said the program will provide much-needed funding as businesses continue to rebound from Covid's fiscal scourge.

“The recovery grant program will help our businesses and nonprofits regain their strength so they can thrive and prosper for years to come," Gorski said.

West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor said “the health and vitality of our community is dependent upon our small business and non-profit sectors succeeding."

"We understand how difficult and unpredictable these past few years have been for these organizations. They have worked tirelessly to keep things going and we hope this grant opportunity will provide some much needed relief.”

According to the Town of West Hartford, the grant program operates on a reimbursement basis for two types of projects:

• A COVID-19 relief assistance grant in which businesses/organizations that demonstrate negative impacts from the public health emergency should apply.

• A new or enhanced program assistance grant, which must meet the criteria of directly responding to the negative impact of COVID-19.

Eligibility requirements, projects, grant guidelines and applications are on the Town of West Hartford’s Economic Development webpage: https://www.westhartfordct.gov/town-departments/economic-development/small-business-non-profit-recovery-grant-program.

The application acceptance period begins Wednesday, July 20, at 8:30 a.m. and runs through Wednesday, Aug. 10, at 4:30 p.m.

If the town has not awarded the entire allocated amount of $2 million by Aug. 10, the application period will be extended until all funds are awarded, according to town officials.

To help small businesses better understand and apply for grants, there will be two ways to get assistance and ask questions.

The town will host two virtual webinars on Thursday, July 6, from 9 to 10 a.m. and Tuesday, July 12, from 6 to 7 p.m.

Attendees register via the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce by clicking on the date links.

In addition, businesses can make an appointment with Denise Whitford, business advisor with the Connecticut Small Business Development Center.

Whitford offers in-person free, confidential, one-on-one advising at West Hartford Town Hall on Mondays, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

She can be reached at 860-576-5135 or via denise.whitford@uconn.edu to schedule an appointment.

Questions about eligibility and program guidelines can be sent to ARPAgrants@westhartfordct.gov.