SelectCobb, a division of the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce, is offering small businesses based in Cobb County with up to $40,000 in grants to help mitigate financial hardships created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The application has been reopened for funding, as it previously closed in June.
To qualify, businesses must have no more than 100 employees and been in continuous operation for at least one year prior to March 13, 2020, and provide a detailed description of how the funds from the grant will be used. No less than 60% of the grant funds must be spent on personnel for rehiring and/or maintaining full-time W-2 employees; and 40% of the grant funds may be used on other COVID-19 business related impacts and costs, including, but not limited to:
- Rent/leases/equipment rental;
- Utility payments;
- Inventory purchases;
- Marketing;
- PPE and other supplies/costs to ensure employee and customer safety.
New for this second round of applications, 1099 contractors may count as employees if they function like full-time employees and work at least 30 hours per week or 130 hours per month. Another change is that businesses that have received assistance from the Paycheck Protection Program or the Small Business Administration are eligible to apply. While preference will be given to those applicants that have not received any funding, SelectCobb is still encouraging companies that received PPP funds to apply.
The deadline for submissions is August 21, 2020. To apply and access application rules, FAQs and other information, visit the SelectCobb website.