More than 420 grants, totaling $8.2 million will be delivered to Atlanta’s small businesses through the Resurgence Grant Fund.
“While the city of Atlanta continues to recover from the effects of the pandemic, many of our small businesses owners and nonprofits need capital to continue to grow and serve their communities,” said Mayor Andre Dickens, while announcing the funding on Aug. 30.
Invest Atlanta will run the Resurgence Grant Fund on behalf of the City of Atlanta.
The fund is an American Rescue Plan Act-funded program. It offers Atlanta small businesses and nonprofits grants up to $40,000 to cover expenses incurred due to COVID-19 hardships.
“The Resurgence Grant Fund is a lifeline for our small businesses and non-profits who will use these funds to reinvest in their businesses and our people,” Dickens said.
The fund includes an additional $1 million set aside for the artist community through the ELEVATE grant program.
The remaining $400,000 of that program will be available to local artists this fall.
Grant awards reimburse small businesses and non-profits for COVID-19 related expenses, such as:
- Personal protective equipment
- Cleaning supplies
- Other health measures to protect employees and customers
- Commercial rent,
- Payroll
“We are keenly aware that businesses in disadvantaged areas are often disproportionately affected by economic challenges like the pandemic and need to do everything we can to ensure that recovery is equitable,” said Dr. Eloisa Klementich, president and CEO of Invest Atlanta.
Invest Atlanta opened the program on March 1, and accepted applications through May 27.
“With the Resurgence Grant Fund, we are able to help more Atlanta businesses regain their footing, especially those in distressed neighborhoods. Together, through the Resurgence Grant Fund in 2022 and 2020, we have provided nearly $30 million in Resurgence grants to over 1,000 businesses and nonprofits,” said Klementich.
A team of 21 Invest Atlanta staff persons thoroughly reviewed the 2,473 applications received.
“The number of applications received far exceeds any previous Invest Atlanta program. Understanding that businesses need this funding as quickly as possible, we employed additional staff persons to expedite the process, thoroughly checking each application by hand to ensure that all submitted information was legitimate, verifiable and according to US Treasury guidelines,” added Klementich.
Invest Atlanta has additional programs to support small businesses, including:
- Atlanta Open for Businesses program
- Small business loans
- ATLInBusiness consulting services and other resources
For more information, visit investatlanta.com.