Amazon Grants $5 Million To Businesses Fearing Coronavirus Losses

SEATTLE, WA — Amazon said Tuesday it would create a $5 million "relief fund" to help small businesses near its South Lake Union headquarters endure the downturn caused by the coronavirus, which has driven droves of customers away from restaurants, shops and other retailers in the Seattle area.

The grants will go to businesses with fewer than 50 employees or less than $7 million in annual revenue, located within "a few blocks" of Amazon office building, that rely on foot traffic to stay open, according to a blog post by John Schoettler, Amazon's Vice President of Global Real Estate and Facilities.

Businesses can apply for the grants by sending an email to smallbusinessfund@amazon.com, and Amazon will reply with information they'll need in order to apply.

Applicants will need to say how much revenue they expect to lose in March, given the major companies around Seattle that have asked their employees to start working from home to avoid spreading COVID-19.

That list includes Amazon, as well as Microsoft, Facebook, Google and Twitter.

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The streets of Downtown Seattle have been substantially emptied due to the work-from-home orders, as well as the cancelation or postponement of events like Emerald City Comic Con.

In the blog post, Schoettler cited "restaurants, food trucks, coffee shops ... and other retailers" as "a meaningful part of what give our neighborhoods the energy and vibrancy we all love."

"[W]e know that we have an important role to play in keeping our employees and residents safe and healthy, and in supporting the local businesses that are our neighbors," Schoettler wrote.

Amazon will partner with a third party to distribute the funding starting in April, according to the company.

Meanwhile, advocacy and labor groups like Working Washington have called on officials to protect low-income workers from the worst effects of the coronavirus downturn by preserving medical benefits and halting evictions and utility shut-offs.

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