Service Industry Relief Fund Announced

Published on December 08, 2020

Continuing a proud tradition of supporting the local business community, the Board of Commissioners has dedicated $2 million to assist Weld County businesses that have had to close or have had to significantly reduce their services since November 1, 2020 due to state COVID-19 restrictions.

“There is no question the pandemic has impacted everyone in various ways,” said Commissioner Chair Mike Freeman, “but our small, public-facing businesses have taken the brunt of negative impacts due to state policy changes, and it is the desire of this board to provide relief to those businesses which serve as the core of our communities.”

The grant program, which will utilize money from the county’s economic development fund, falls directly in line with the board’s history of supporting local business owners.

“Approximately 10 years ago, the county created an economic development fund using unclaimed property tax credits,” explained Director of Finance Don Warden. “This fund is used to support local businesses through programs such as the county’s Small Business Incentive Program, the Colorado Enterprise Fund Loan Program, the Small Business Development Center, Upstate Colorado and more. It’s a natural fit to now use some of the money from this fund to help those businesses hurting most by pandemic restrictions.”

Upstate Colorado will administer the grant program for the county, just as it did for the two rounds of CARES fund grants earlier this fall. This new round of grants, however, is aimed at providing financial relief to businesses specifically affected by state restriction including: restaurants; bars and other food and beverage service providers; live event venues; movie theaters; gyms and fitness centers; bowling centers; arcades; and other recreation facilities.

“Service-industry businesses are hurting now,” said Freeman. “This grant program aims to provide relief quickly to help these small businesses make it through the next few months, in particular. That’s why we’ve directed Upstate to open the application process now and start awarding grants before the end of the month.”

If you are a small business located in Weld County and are interested in learning more about this opportunity, please visit https://weldrecovery.com.