As the pandemic’s economic crunch continues, the city is offering a new round of $10,000 grants for small businesses. Previous grants went to 469 businesses – out of 9,000 that applied – and now the Small Business Stabilization Fund has money for 240 more. The application process started today and will continue through the end of the month. From the announcement:

To be eligible for a grant, a small business or non-profit must have 25 or fewer employees, be located within Seattle city limits, and have an annual net revenue at or below $2 million. Non-profits must explicitly provide economic opportunity supports through education programs and/or job training. In an attempt to prioritize funding to businesses that are more likely to have experienced the greatest economic impacts, OED will ensure that at least two-thirds of grant recipients will be selected from applications from businesses with five or fewer employees and from areas that are identified as high risk of displacement or highly disadvantaged. Those areas are determined by several socioeconomic factors to identify areas of the city that have been historically underserved and more likely to be disproportionally impacted by economic shocks. This fund also aims to better support creative industry small businesses and workers and will specifically allocate 10 percent of all grants—or 24 grants—to creative industry small businesses. All businesses and non-profit organizations that receive a grant must commit to not reducing wages and benefits provided prior to the COVID-19 emergency.

Application information is here, and two online events are coming up to help would-be applicants – noon-1 pm Thursday (November 12) and November 18. Go here to register to attend one.