Montgomery County and the Towns of Blacksburg and Christiansburg have established a grant fund to support small business recovery in response to COVID-19. One-time grants are being provided to offset Hotel-Motel business impacts during the pandemic.
ELIGIBLE GRANT USES
Grant funds must be expended in compliance with state and federal law. Funds may be used to reimburse the cost of business interruption caused by COVID 19, which may include any of the following expenses made after March 15, 2020 (deemed “necessary” expenses for business survival):
- Payroll expenses, including wages or benefits
- Lease or mortgage payments
- Utilities (excluding Town/County water and sewer)
- Insurance
- Personal protective equipment (PPE) or cleaning supplies or services
Ineligible items include anything paid before March 15, anything already being reimbursed by other federal or state funds or CARES Act funding, and anything not deemed ‘necessary.'
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Businesses meeting all of the following eligibility criteria are encouraged to apply:
- Must be an existing for-profit business physically located in the Town of Blacksburg, Town of Christiansburg, or Montgomery County and possess a valid business license
- Must be current on all fees, permits and taxes as of the time of application, except when extensions have been granted by one of the municipalities due to COVID-19
- Business has active liability insurance within 30 days
- Owner/Applicant is not currently in bankruptcy
- Must demonstrate impacts due to COVID-19 (i.e. has suffered 20% or more decrease in revenue OR net income when comparing 2019 and 2020 local hotel/lodging tax filings)
Note: Bed and Breakfasts are eligible to apply, but short term rentals (Airbnbs) are not.
GRANT GUIDELINES
- Completion of the grant application by December 7
- Maximum amount is based on the # of rooms
- One (1) grant per business establishment
- Funds will be reviewed by a grant review committee and awarded at one time
Maximum funds available per award will be based on the number of hotel rooms multiplied by $250.
Applicants will need to submit receipts for eligible expenses incurred between March 15 and November 1, 2020 up to the maximum award amount at the time of application.
Use of funds restrictions: Funds cannot be used to pay taxes, fees or any other payments due to the County or Towns.
APPLICATION REVIEW
A review committee will evaluate the applicant’s documents for eligibility. Applicants will receive an email notifying them as to whether their online application has been accepted or denied by December 30.
For full details, and to complete the online grant application, visit one of the following sites:
www.blacksburg.gov/hotelmotelgrant
www.christiansburg.org/hotelmotelgrant
www.montva.com/hotelmotelgrant
Need Help? Have Questions?
For additional information or questions, please email grants@blacksburg.gov or info@christiansburg.org.