Polk County Courthouse (Courtesy of Jolene Guzman/Polk Itemizer-Observer)
Polk County now has help available for businesses and nonprofits affected by a new round of pandemic restrictions.
The county has made $1.25 million available in grants, its share of $55 million made available by Gov. Kate Brown to help prop up businesses that have seen a drop in customers and revenue.
Polk County is working with Willamette Workforce Partnership, the area’s federally funded workforce development nonprofit, to manage the grant process and distribute the money. The application, available in English and Spanish, was posted to the partnership’s website on Friday and will be open until noon Monday, Dec. 14.
“The Polk County Board of Commissioners are concerned about the trauma that COVID-19 has caused our local businesses and are hopeful that this money will bridge some critical gaps in the short term,” Commissioner Craig Pope said in a prepared statement. “The Commissioners realize that this amount of money will not heal the wounds that are widespread in our county and it is not nearly enough to solve substantial revenue shortfalls.”
To be eligible for the money, businesses or nonprofits must have been negatively impacted by the pandemic, be located within Polk County and be in compliance with local, state and federal regulations.
Kim Parker-Llerenas, Willamette Workforce Partnership executive director, said in an email that her group will accept the applications and verify eligibility. After that, it’ll turn the process over to Polk County to determine which businesses are awarded grants and how much they receive.
When setting aside the $55 million last month, the governor said that the money was prioritized for the hospitality industry and other businesses impacted by her most recent pandemic order. She also prioritized small businesses and those owned by women and minorities.
Polk County Administrator Greg Hansen said in an email that the county doesn’t have a set amount it expects to award each business that applies. Hansen said that any business that meets the eligibility criteria can access the money.
“But the hospitality industry is a definite target industry,” he said.
On Wednesday, the Marion County Board of Commissioners set up a grant program for its $3.5 million share of the relief money. Marion County’s program is geared towards its leisure and hospitality industry. It estimates it’ll receive 1,360 applications and each will receive a $2,500 grant.
Contact reporter Jake Thomas at 503-575-1251 or [email protected] or @jakethomas2009.
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