RICHMOND, Va. — Area small businesses will soon be able to apply for water crisis recovery support through a new grant fund.
Richmond’s Economic Development Authority (EDA) approved a $250,000 grant to the Metropolitan Business League (MBL) Thursday for a new Small Business Recovery Grant Fund, which will provide grants to small businesses significantly impacted by January’s citywide water outage.
The fund, announced in a Thursday night statement from the city, will be seeded with a total initial investment of $500,000 provided by the EDA, Dominion Energy, and Altria. Fundraising efforts are ongoing, the city says.
Applications for the fund will open on Mar. 17 and will close at 11:59 p.m. on Mar. 28, 2025.
The MBL and the City’s Office of Minority Development will hold virtual Q&A sessions on Mar. 6 and Mar. 12. Small businesses can sign up for a session here.
More information about the program, including eligibility criteria, will be available on thembl.org in the coming days.
Watch: Richmond business owners react to challenges caused by water crisis: 'It felt like COVID'
The city opened applications for a fund earlier this month for things like rent or healthcare expenses related to the water crisis. Applications were paused after three days.
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