Small Business Grant Program Approved by Fairfax Supervisors

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — Fairfax County is using some of its first federal American Rescue Plan funds for small business assistance.

On Tuesday, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a $25 million grant program called PIVOT to assist small businesses most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses eligible to apply for funding will include food service; retail, services and amusements; arts organizations and historical sites; and lodging.

Business types were selected based on results of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority's Economic Recovery Framework report. the report found the estimated 48,200 jobs lost through December 2020 were concentrated in the retail, hospitality, and food service industries.

"Fairfax County is committed to helping businesses recover from the effects of the pandemic," said Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay in a statement. "Through the PIVOT grant we will help those businesses who saw the greatest financial impact regain their momentum so they will be able to thrive in the reopening marketplace. It also directs recovery towards sectors that employ disproportionately higher numbers of low income and minority workers, making it all more important that we target recovery efforts to these communities who have been hardest hit."

The $25 million program is funded through a portion of the county's American Rescue Plan funds. The board also approved the first half of the $222 million Fairfax County is expected to receive over two years from the federal stimulus package.

The county similarly used funds from the federal CARES Act last year to create the RISE grant program for businesses. The program resulted in $52.5 million in grants distributed to 4,804 applicants, 72 percent of which were women-owned, minority-owned, or veteran-owned businesses.

Applications for the PIVOT grant program are expected to open on June 23 and be available through July 7. Webinars will be held on June 15 at 1 p.m. in English and June 17 at 2 p.m. in Spanish.

For more information, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/economic-initiatives/pivot.