Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman and the Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation (AAEDC) have announced the launch of the Disaster Recovery Micro-Grant Program (DRMGP) to help Anne Arundel County businesses recover from the damage and pause in operations sustained as a result of the tropical storm and tornado that struck the region on Wednesday, Sept. 1.
“We are extremely thankful that the tornado did not lead to any loss of life or injuries, but many of our businesses and residents are still feeling the effects,” County Executive Steuart Pittman said. “We appreciate the TD Charitable Foundation’s support in offering this grant to help our impacted businesses. It is a timely opportunity that comes on the heels of recent announcements of loans through the Small Business Administration and the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development. Together, these resources aim to help business owners rebuild and restart their operations.”
Funded with $25,000 from the TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, the program began taking applications for up to $5,000 on Tuesday, Oct. 26.
“We’re grateful to the TD Charitable Foundation for making this program possible,” added AAEDC CEO Ben Birge. “Our team aims to make the application process as simple as possible so that we can get these grants out to the community as quickly and seamlessly as possible.”
With priority given to businesses most affected by the tornado, the DRMGP will allow eligible businesses to use grants of up to $5,000 for any legitimate business expense including physical property repairs, replacement of business equipment, replacement of inventory, lease/rental support, vendor bill support or moving expenses support.
Qualifying applicants include businesses that have a brick-and-mortar location in Anne Arundel County and are in good standing with the State of Maryland. Applicants will be required to submit:
a grant application via web form
a statement listing all damages, including details of the loss of income
a budget detailing the use of grant proceeds
a completed W-9 form
Finally, all applicants will be required to be available for a site visit to review damages to the property/business, to self-affirm that the grant funds will not be used for any expenses that are reimbursed by any other relief programs or losses that are reimbursed by a covered insurance policy related to the disaster, and to save receipts for proof of purchase of all expenditures in case of an audit.
All applications must be submitted via an online portal by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 5. To access the application, visit the Disaster Recovery Assistance page on the AAEDC website. For additional information, inquiries can be sent to [email protected].
To learn about the low-interest disaster loans (Business Physical Disaster Loans, Economic Injury Disaster Loans, and Home Disaster Loans) made available to businesses, nonprofits, and homeowners following the disaster declaration by the SBA, visit the Annapolis Office of Economic Development Tornado Recovery Page on the City’s website: https://www.annapolis.gov/1833/Annapolis-Tornado-Business-Resources or contact the Department of Planning and Zoning at 410-260-2200.
