State approves CARES Act Funding to aid San Miguel County businesses impaired due to COVID
Media Contact: Mike Bordogna, County Manager, 970.728.3844, mikeb@sanmiguelcountyco.gov
Lindsey Mills, Public Information Consultant, lindseym@sanmiguelcountyco.gov
(November 20, 2020) – San Miguel County, CO --- Tonight at 5 pm, San Miguel County opened applications for businesses to apply for its newest round of Coronavirus Relief Funding (CVRF). The State of Colorado approved an additional allocation of $3 million dollars in CVRF funding, enabling San Miguel County to establish a one-time grant program to help qualified County-based businesses severely disrupted by the pandemic. With the most recent award, the County is set up to offer aid primarily to businesses that have been unable to pivot during the pandemic with new regulations in place with the assistance of Region 10.
“We’ve been waiting for this funding to come through and, while the turnaround is very tight, we are grateful for the opportunity to help our businesses in a meaningful way during a time when there doesn’t seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel,” said San Miguel County Manager Mike Bordogna.
The San Miguel County Commissioners understand the challenges local businesses are facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of this program is to provide emergency support to for-profit and non-profit businesses that were not able to generate revenue or whose revenue was severely disrupted during the pandemic. The County is seeking to extend the life of businesses that had a proven pre-pandemic business model but are in danger of closure due to the pandemic.
“We recognize that all businesses have been impacted by this global disruption, and we applaud the efforts of those who were able to adapt their business model to prevent severe impacts. Due to the limited funds of this program, our goal is to assist those businesses who had few or no opportunities to adapt under the State and Local Public Health Orders,” states the grant program’s description.
The grant program timeline is as follows:
- Application period: Friday, November 20 at 5pm until Monday, November 30 at 5pm
- Region 10 review of grant proposals: Tuesday, December 1 to Friday, December 18
- Region 10 recommendation to San Miguel County: Monday, December 21
- San Miguel County payment request to State: Monday, December 21 to Wednesday, December 23
- Checks cut to awarded businesses by San Miguel County: Monday, December 28 to Monday, December 30
Due to the tight timelines that the County must adhere to in processing grants and seeking reimbursement from the State, incomplete applications will not be considered. Applicants should realize that there is a high likelihood of being audited for the funds they may receive. Any finds received will be considered taxable income. There is no guarantee of full or even partial granting of the funds requested.
To apply, businesses should visit the San Miguel County website, click the banner in the header for COVID information and click through to business resources in the header. Alternatively, businesses can visit https://tinyurl.com/smccovidgrants.
Five Commitments of Containment:
- Wear a mask
- Maintain six feet of physical distance
- Minimize group size
- Wash hands frequently
- Stay home when sick and get tested