Small businesses are at the heart of every community in Harris County. They provide critical supplies, services, and employ a large share of our workforce. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit many of Harris County’s small business entrepreneurs and their workers hard, which is why Precinct One is proud to have supported the $30 million Small Business Relief Fund (SBRF).

Tomorrow, July 24th will be the last day for eligible small businesses to submit their applications to the SBRF, allowing us to begin the review process and get critical funding to these small businesses and those who depend on them as soon as possible. The SBRF will provide critical aid to a limited number of Harris County’s smallest and most vulnerable businesses so they can stay afloat and keep people employed.

“We want to ensure that the thousands of families who rely on small businesses continue to have the ability to pay their rent, feed their families, and make ends meet,” said Commissioner Rodney Ellis. “Although not every eligible small business that applied will receive support, we have a fair and transparent process to select those that will get funding, and we are eager to get this relief to those small businesses.”

The program has seen overwhelming demand, which far surpasses the funding available. In order to provide relief to eligible businesses in a fair and transparent manner, applications submitted to the fund before tomorrow’s 3:30pm deadline will be selected at random. As of today, 21,277 total applications have been received, of which 6,535 have been completed and processed.

The program will provide eligible businesses a grant of up to $25,000 to help cover payroll costs, rent, accounts payable and other operating expenses. The Fund targets businesses with 30 or fewer employees and is designed to assist the most vulnerable Harris County small- and micro-enterprises impacted by the pandemic with mounting financial burdens.