The eligibility requirements for Cobb’s Small Business Grant Program have been posted to the SelectCobb website.

The program was set up to help small businesses in the county weather the COVID-19 pandemic, and is funded from the $132 million allocated to the county in the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

The site states:

The following are the basic eligibility requirements for applicants to be considered for grant funding through the SelectCobb Small Business Relief Grant. SelectCobb staff will review each application to ensure that all eligibility requirements are met. All eligible applications will be reviewed by an independent selection committee. It is vital for all applicants to submit the required accompanying documentation to ensure a complete application submittal. The eligibility requirements are as follows:

• No applications will be accepted after June 26, 2020 at 5:00 pm;
• Only complete applications will be considered for funding;
• Business does not need to be a member of the Cobb Chamber nor will there be any preferential consideration for Cobb Chamber members;
• Business must be an existing for-profit corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship;
• Business headquarters or primary location must be within Cobb County;
• Business must have 100 or fewer full-time, W-2 employees, i.e., employees working at least 32 hours per week or 130 hours per month;
• Business must have been in continuous operation for a minimum of 1 year prior to March 13, 2020;
• Business must have a current business license issued by Cobb County Government, City of Acworth, City of Austell, City of Kennesaw, City of Marietta, City of Powder Springs, or City of Smyrna;
• Business must be current on all local taxes;
• Business may be home-based or located in an owned or leased commercial space;
• Business must certify if they have received PPP funds as of time of application submittal; and
• Business cannot be a publicly traded company.

Origins of the program

The program was created at last week’s meeting of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners (BOC), and according to the county’s news release, is “designed to help struggling businesses recover from the economic damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic.”

The program was approved in a 5-0 BOC vote.

The amount of the grants vary with business size as follows:

• 1 to 10 employees – up to $20,000;
• 11 to 50 employees – up to $30,000;
• 51 to 100 employees – up to $40,000.

Learn about the complete application process by visiting https://selectcobb.com/industries/grants/