Your Local Government CARES about you!

Category: Chamber Corner Chamber Corner
Published: 07 October 2020 07 October 2020

Have you submitted your CARES act Small Business Continuity Application yet? That is a loaded question because I have seen every application so far and I haven't seen your name on an application yet. I know you're busy right now and you've got other things that you need to focus on but I've got to tell you that one of the smartest things you can do this year is to submit an application for this program which is currently under way.

On September 1, 2020 the New Mexico Department of Finance & Administration announced $150 million in CARES Act grants to local governments across New Mexico to cover the cost of necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency. The Silver City Grant County Chamber of Commerce has been working with The Town of Silver City, Grant County and the mining district to help administer the applications that are coming in for this program. We have been receiving a large number of telephone calls from business owners who are wondering if their business qualifies for this important program. My answer is always the same, "you won't know until you try!" Submit an application and let the process work itself out. The criteria are simple and straight forward and completing your application should be a no-brainer. As long as your business entity is bona fide, currently operating and you have experienced "a loss of revenue due to expenses made responding directly to the health crisis" then you could possibly qualify for a grant award.

According to the press release the following are eligible expenses for small business grants:
Business Continuity:
• Non-owner employee payroll
• Rent, scheduled mortgage payments
• Insurance
• Utilities
• Marketing
Business Redesign:
• Reconfiguring physical space
• Installing plexiglass barriers
• Purchasing web-conferencing or other technology to facilitate work-at-home
• PPE for employees
• Temporary structures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19

The local government entities in Grant County have been awarded money that can be used to make awards to small businesses within each municipality across the county. Working collaboratively these local governments have formed a committee which is evaluating each of the applications submitted. The committee is actively working to make sure that every small business has a chance at qualifying for a grant. The amount of each award will be anywhere between $1000 and $10,000 depending on what is submitted on the application. The amount of award will be based on the total amount of qualifying expenses.

I've said it so many times over the past 7 months that I sound like a broken record but, "we are definitely living in extraordinary times" and the activities we are undertaking to keep our businesses afloat are, sometimes, equally extraordinary. If you've ever tried to apply for grant money being offered by state and federal programs you know that the process is usually time and labor intensive. It's not easy to get grant money awarded to your business so you take whatever opportunities which come your way very seriously. The CARES act Small Business Continuity Grant opportunity is exactly what your business needs right now! There are no guarantees on if you will be awarded grant money, or not, but it is in your own best interest to try. Call us at the chamber if you have questions and take the time to fill out your application. Your local government wants to give you money but you won't get it until you apply for it!

To get more information and to download the application please go to www.silvercity.org and follow the links.

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.