Hamilton County, Ohio (5/20/2020) – Small Businesses in Hamilton County that have been harmed during the COVID-19 crisis can apply to the Hamilton County Small Business relief program starting this afternoon, Wednesday, May 20, 2020. Applications can be submitted online https://www.hamiltoncountyohio.gov/sbrelief beginning at 5:00 p.m. today through Wednesday, May 27 at 5:00 p.m.

The Small Business Relief Program aims to provide direct relief to local small businesses with less than $1 Million in gross revenue that have not already received federal assistance. Hamilton County Commissioners are utilizing $5 Million in Federal CARES Act funds to fund the $2,500, $5,000 and $10,000 grants. The program will be run via a lottery; interest in the program is expected to exceed the funds available.

The County’s program is now open to small businesses with and without storefronts and with 50 or fewer employees or 1099 workers. Small businesses must have been operational since January 2019 and be able to show a decreased gross revenue or receipts of 35% or more due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional requirements can be found on the County’s website.

The initial application is designed to be simple so businesses do not have to scramble for paperwork to enter the lottery. However, if the business is randomly selected in the lottery, owners will then have seven days to upload verification documents, such as, tax returns and bank statements via a secure link for validation.  The lottery will be split into two: one for small business with 0-10 employees and one for businesses with 11-50 employees.

Again, the application will be available at 5:00 p.m. today on the County’s website through the deadline of Wednesday May 27, 2020 at 5:00 p.m.

Additional phases of the grant program are being contemplated. Interested businesses should sign up for notification updates here – https://www.hamiltoncountyohio.gov/about/news/hamilton_county_covid-19_relief_program.