HoCo Rise Business Assistance Grant Program

About the Program

Category: Community and Economic Development (Best in Category)

Year: 2021

In response to CARES Act and other funding allocated to local jurisdictions through Emergency Orders issued by the Governor, individual counties were designing financial programs to disburse these funds. In partnership with Howard County Government, Howard County Economic Development Authority (HCEDA) launched the HoCo Rise Business Assistance Grant program to provide financial support to local Howard County businesses whose operations have been impacted by COVID-19.HCEDA was responsible for developing and implementing this program from start to finish including design of the application to reviewing and verifying business information for application. HCEDA worked with its partners within the County, the Department of Finance, the Department of Community Resources and Services, and Howard County Tourism to conduct outreach, review applications, and issue funds to Howard County business owners. This program helped to support small, local businesses in need of support as some businesses’ operations were restricted or forced to close. HCEDA aimed to assist as many businesses as possible by using an inclusive approach in contrast to the traditional first come, first served approach used by many other grant programs.