Tarrant County opens new round of small-business grants Oct. 26

Applications for Tarrant County's second round of Small Business Assistance Grants opened Oct. 26 at 10 a.m., with grants of up to $10,000 available.

The second round of applications for the Care 4 Tarrant Small Business Assistance Grant program will expand its eligibility requirements to allow more businesses to apply for funding. Independently owned and operated franchises are now eligible for the grant, along with local businesses who missed the first application deadline, submitted an incomplete application or were denied a grant.

“Our staff of three has worked every day with our business owners to create exposure for them, promote them and assist them and at the same time keeping them informed about the funding programs available to them,” said JoAnn Malone, president of the Greater Keller Chamber of Commerce. “I really believe our efforts created a very strong sense of community and loyalty to each other during this time."

The second round was originally set to open Oct. 12. However, the volume of applications in Round 1 and the amount of time it took to review each application caused the county to rethink and "simplify" the application process, Grapevine Chamber CEO RaDonna Hessel said.

"For those businesses who are a part of the Grapevine chamber that shared with us their efforts to get the funds, the wait and the relief of receiving the federal dollars through Tarrant County, the impact was immeasurable," she said. "While some may feel that is too small of a grant, for those who received it, it was a lifeline to be able to keep employees working, rent paid and their doors open as we all try to make it through such unprecedented times."

Business owners who previously received a grant or who are owners of more than one business that received funding in the first round will not be eligible.

In order to qualify, businesses must have had 25 or fewer employees as of March 1, 2020, and must be located within Tarrant County, but outside the city of Fort Worth. Businesses must have been closed or partially closed due to COVID-19 and must have been financially impacted by the pandemic.

Unlike the first round. applicants now must submit their business's total deposit amounts for January, February, April and May of 2020, along with tax documentation and bank statements.

For more information and to apply online, visit http://smallbusiness.tarrantcounty.com.