News Flash

Operators of small businesses and non-profits in Winston-Salem can learn more about how the city’s pandemic recovery grant program has been revised during a virtual public briefing held at 3 p.m. Tuesday, June 14. Grant applications are being accepted through June 24. 

The briefing will be held via Zoom and will livestream on CityofWS.org/YouTube. Viewers who want to ask questions should sign in to participate in the briefing and pose questions through the chat box. A link to participate will be posted on CityofWS.org/RecoveryGrants. The link will not be active until 15 minutes before the briefing starts.

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, is 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.