News Flash

Thanks to an allocation of $250,000 by the Board of Supervisors to promote post-pandemic economic recovery, all the eligible small businesses who applied will receive a micro-grant of up to $5,000 from the Nevada County Relief Fund. 

The Nevada County Relief Fund’s fifth round of grantmaking was entirely funded from the County’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allotment. Last month, the Board of Supervisors set aside nearly $6 Million of ARPA funds for the purpose of “Community & Economic Resiliency.”

“It’s gratifying to see this money from Washington go where it’s most needed right now, our small business community,” said Board Chair Dan Miller. “I applaud the resiliency of every small business in Nevada County who weathered the pandemic. It’s great to walk around our business districts and see people smiling again.”

Sierra Business Council (SBC) administered the grant application process with oversight provided by the Relief Fund’s Community Advisory Council. After evaluating each application for eligibility, staff generated a randomly selected list that was reviewed by the Relief Fund’s Small Business Team to ensure geographic and business type diversity. While the applicants certified they were following state and local public health guidelines, County and municipal staff verified they were in good standing and had no records of complaints.

SBC received nearly 87 applications, and recommended funding a mix of “bricks and mortar” retailers, restaurants, arts and entertainment venues, and personal services. More than half are based in Grass Valley with approximately 20% from Nevada City and 20% from Truckee. SBC will reserve the balance of funds for future efforts to support Covid-impacted businesses consistent with ARPA guidelines. SBC will also provide awardees with one-on-one business counseling through its Small Business Development Center. 

“Small businesses are facing a number of challenges recovering from COVID-19 impacts – increased costs for materials, hiring and supply chain challenges to name just a few,” said Kristin York, Vice President of the Sierra Business Council. “These micro-grants can make a real difference for a small retailer looking to rebuild her inventory, for example.”

Notified by staff of their awards, local business owners expressed their appreciation to the County and the Relief Fund team.

“What a blessing! Covid’s been heart wrenching and exhausting. We took on debt and suffered a 58% reduction in business. This grant gives us space to breathe, regroup, and resume placing our 40 local servers, bartenders, baristas and private chefs with clients for in-home entertaining. Small businesses, especially those without brick-and-mortar storefronts, can be invisible. So it feels wonderful to be acknowledged with this grant,” said Holly Verbeck, CEO of HeyChef!, which has operated in Truckee since 1997. 

“This is exciting news. We sell jewelry at festivals for a living, and all our festivals after March 2020 were canceled. We increased our online presence, but with this grant, we will be able to update and repair our old and aging equipment and get back to selling at fairs and festivals again,” said Jim Candelaria of Rough and Ready Jewelers. 

About the Nevada County Relief Fund

 The Nevada County Relief Fund was established in April 2020 with a $100,000 “challenge grant” from the Nevada County Board of Supervisors to mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. To date, the Relief Fund has raised over $1.3 Million to help dozens of small businesses and nonprofits countywide with nearly half the money raised from individual donations.

The Nevada County Relief Fund is a partnership between the County of Nevada, Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Foundation (fiscal sponsor), Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, the Sierra Business Council, Center for Nonprofit Leadership, and the Economic Resource Council. www.nevcorelief.org 

Round Five Small Business Micro-grants: