Avon Lake Launches COVID-19 Small Business Grant Program

AVON LAKE, OH — Grants will soon be available for Avon Lake's small businesses.

City officials, working with the Lorain County Chamber of Commerce, are launching the Avon Lake COVID-19 Small Business Grant Relief program. Grants of up to $2,500 will be available for businesses. Applications for the program will be available on the Lorain County Chamber of Commerce website starting at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Businesses that are eligible for these grants must have a place of business in Avon Lake and have between three and 20 employees. Grants can be used for payroll, rent payments, utility payments and other qualified expenses.

“The Avon Lake administration and City Council fully understand the financial toll that the COVID-19 virus has taken on our local economy, especially the small business community,”Mayor Greg Zilka said. He said every little bit helps and he urged the community to shop locally.

In late November, Avon Lake City Council authorized the use of $100,000 in CARES Act funds to establish the grant program. The Lorain County Chamber of Commerce will collect and evaluate grant applications.

The chamber ran a small business grant program in April. The Avon Lake program will build on that foundation.

“In some ways, this escalation of Covid-19 makes it feel like it did back in March,” said Economic Development Director Ted Esborn. “We don’t have any forced closures now, but the challenges that our small businesses face — going into winter with an elevated virus threat—gave us a similar conviction that we had to act.”