BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD—Applications for Baltimore County Small Business Emergency Relief grants will close at 5 p.m. on Friday.

The program, which was first announced back in April, awards grants of up to $15,000 each to more than 650 Baltimore County-based small businesses.

Grant applications are posted on the Department of Economic and Workforce Development website. To qualify for this grant program, small businesses must retain at least half of the workforce they had prior to January 31, 2020, which must have included at least two non-owner employees prior to Maryland’s Stay at Home Order. They must also:

• Have at least two employees who are not owners or part-owners,
• Have no more than 25 employees per Baltimore County establishment,
• Demonstrate that they have lost at least 40 percent of their revenues since the Stay at Home order began,
• Have been in operation for at least one year as of January 1, 2020, and commenced operations by December 31, 2018 or earlier, and
• Certify that they have not received other forms of federal or state COVID-19 assistance or relief at the time of application, and
  be in good standing and not in default with the State of Maryland and Baltimore County.

Grant funds may only be used for payroll, operating expenses, business lease or rent, and inventory acquisition vital to the business, with at least 30 percent of the funds used to support payroll for non-owners. Funds may not be used for capital improvements or personal expenses, and if a business fails to reopen, all grant funds must be returned to the County within 14 days.

Learn more about the Baltimore County Small Business Emergency Relief Grants Program here.