WHITE PLAINS – The Westchester County Office of Economic Development is now accepting applications for the 2022 Westchester County Business FIRST grant program.
This year’s grant program will provide up to $17 million to support nonprofits and religious organizations facing challenges as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. Applications will be accepted online starting Tuesday and the application period will remain open for about four weeks.
“Our nonprofits and religious organizations have been a vital resource to the communities they support throughout the duration of the pandemic. This round of grant funding is an investment in organizations that are critical to our residents and in need of financial relief,” said County Executive George Latimer.
Westchester County Business FIRST: Financial Investments for Recovery and a Sustainable Tomorrow provides immediate financial relief to organizations in Westchester County that have been negatively impacted by the pandemic. This round of funding will provide qualifying nonprofits and religious organizations with grants of up to $45,000. Grants will be provided on a reimbursable basis only and recipients must provide receipts to Community Capital before any funds will be disbursed.
The county is offering technical assistance to help nonprofit and religious organizations with the application process. The goal is to ensure that the process to complete the application and submit it, along with the required documentation, isn’t a barrier to potential applicants. To facilitate this a number of experienced nonprofits will be providing support, led by Jan Fisher, Executive Director of Nonprofit Westchester. Organizations needing help applying for a grant can email [Business-FIRST@westchestergov.com.]Business-FIRST@westchestergov.com.
To be eligible for a grant, the organization’s primary location must be in Westchester County. The organization must be currently open with plans to stay open, or temporarily closed with plans to reopen in 2022.