Over $1 Million In Small Business Grants Approved: Freeholders

FREEHOLD, NJ – The Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders announced Wednesday that the Monmouth County CARES Economic Assistance Grant program has already approved nearly $1.7 million in funding for local small businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Last week we launched the Monmouth County CARES Economic Assistance Grant program and we have already gotten an incredible response. We have received more than 1,750 applications and handled close to 800 phone calls regarding the program,” said Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arnone in a statement. “We have approved nearly $1.7 million in grant dollars—and I am really excited to report that the first round of grants are being direct deposited today!”

Interested in a grant for your small business? Here’s how to apply: Small Business Grant Applications Available Next Week: Freeholder

Since March, pandemic-related industry shutdowns affected scores of small businesses and their employees; tens of thousands of Monmouth County residents have since filed for unemployment.

“We said that we wanted to get money into the pockets of our businesses and nonprofit organizations as quickly as possible and I am so proud that we were able to do it in less than eight business days,” said Freeholder Director Arnone. “As I have said before, no one understands Monmouth County businesses like we do or how important it is for them to get these grant dollars immediately.”

For more information about the Monmouth County CARES Economic Assistance Grant program, click here.

At the Wednesday conference, the Board of Chosen Freeholders announced yet another initiative aimed at assisting Monmouth workers. In conjunction with the Workforce Development Board, the Freeholders are offering the new Skill Up Monmouth program, slated to provide Monmouth County residents with thousands of free career training courses online.

“Not only do we feel that it is important to fund our businesses, but we also feel it is important to do everything that we can to help create a skilled workforce,” said Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arnone “We are really excited to announce Skill Up Monmouth, which is a program aimed to help our County residents to refresh their job skills or learn new ones.”

As the majority of the courses work on smartphones, residents can access their account remotely at any time. To get started, residents should visit sdmonmouthnj.metrixlearning.com or call the Division of Workforce Development at (732) 683-8850 ext. 6011.

Have a news tip? Email nicole.rosenthal@patch.com.
Click here to get Patch email notifications, or get breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our app, download here. Follow Freehold Patch on Facebook.