Middlesex County Giving Small-Business Grants; Apply By June 17

MIDDLESEX COUNTY, NJ — If you're a Middlesex County small-business owner, heads up:

Middlesex County is introducing a Small Business Grant program utilizing federal Community Development Block Grants from CARES Act funding.

Middlesex County will award $1,062,260 in grants for job retention and creation through the CDBG-CV funds for this special economic development program under HUD (United States Department of Housing and Urban Development) guidelines. This program will be administered by the Middlesex County Department of Community Services.

Apply for grants by Wednesday June 17 at 5 p.m. on the Middlesex County website: www.middlesexcountynj.gov/COVID19businessgrants

All applicants must submit applications by June 17 and meet all of the following criteria to be eligible for grants:

• Independently or family-owned businesses with no more than 10 employees
• Businesses negatively impacted by COVID-19
• Businesses with a net annual business income of less than $100,000 based on their last federal tax return
• Businesses located and operating in Middlesex County, except in Edison, New Brunswick, Old Bridge, Perth Amboy, Sayreville, and Woodbridge (these municipalities received their own CDBG-CV allocation directly from HUD)
• Businesses that employ and will retain or will hire LMI (low or moderate income) persons for jobs that don’t require specialized training or education beyond a high school diploma.

For additional resources related to COVID-19, please visit www.middlesexcountynj.gov/covid19