News Flash

The city is again accepting applications for pandemic recovery grants and has expanded the time period for which eligible expenses can be reimbursed. The new application deadline is June 24.

The recovery grants are designed to assist small businesses and non-profits that are in or serve federally designated “qualified census tracts” and that fell behind on their rent, mortgage or utilities payments because of the pandemic. For this round of applications, any arrears incurred through May 20, 2022, will be eligible for reimbursement.

Grants up to $25,000 are available to businesses with less than 25 full-time employees or the equivalent, and to non-profits with an annual operating budget of less than $1 million, not counting “pass-through” funds from other sources that are distributed to the non-profit’s clients. 

Qualified census tracts are those in which at least half of the households have income below 60 percent of the area median income or have a poverty rate of 25 percent or more.

Applicants will need to provide a W-9 and copies of their past-due bills. Businesses need to provide documentation of their registration with the N.C. Secretary of State. Non-profits need to provide their tax-exempt determination, a letter from their board authorizing their application and information on client demographics.

More details about the recovery grants program, including complete eligibility criteria and a map of eligible areas, are posted at CityofWS.org/RecoveryGrants.