McHenry County rolls a out new grant program for small businesses that are impacted by COVID-19

McHenry County announced the Immediate Business Relief Grant Program Wednesday, which will award $15,000 to small businesses that have been hit especially hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Small businesses in accommodation, food services, arts, entertainment or recreation industries are encouraged to apply as soon as possible as the program will end on Dec. 31 or when grant funding runs out, according to a news release sent from the county.

“As a longtime small business owner, I have a strong personal connection to our business community,” McHenry County Board Chairman Mike Buehler said in the release. “This assistance may provide a lifeline to the many businesses struggling to survive because of the pandemic.”

McHenry County will use federal funds allocated to the county through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act to support the program, awarding a total of $465,000 in the form of $15,000 grants to 31 businesses.

“This is great news for our local businesses who have been hit hard this year, and an encouraging boost for our local economy," Jim McConoughey, President of the McHenry County Economic Development Corporation, said in the release. "Local businesses should not delay and apply for these funds as they are subject to availability.”

In order to be eligible for the program, businesses must have between two and 25 employees and have to show at least $25,000 in lost revenue between March and the end of August 2020 compared with last year's revenue for the same period.

The grant program will bring the total amount of money that the county has given to help businesses this year to more than $1.5 million, according to the release.

Another way to support the county's small businesses is to do your holiday shopping locally, Buehler said in the release.

"Our businesses are an integral part of our community’s extraordinary fabric and they need our help now more than ever," he said.

More details on the small business grant program can be found on the McHenry County Community Development Division website.