The City of Laurel Department of Economic and Community Development (Laurel ECD) will administer the Laurel Smart Move Small Business Grant Program.
Donor Name: City of Laurel
State: Maryland
City: Laurel
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 07/01/2022
Size of the Grant: $5,000 to $15,000
Details:
The goals of this program include:
- To provide financial support to businesses that have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic
- To support new business startups in order to fill the commercial, office, and industrial vacancies within the City of Laurel that are due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Funding Information
This Program will award grants in the amount of $5,000 to $15,000 to businesses starting up or relocating to the City of Laurel.
Eligibility Criteria
In order for a business to be eligible it must fall into one of the following categories:
- Startup – A new startup business
- Relocate – A relocating business
- Expand – An expanding business that is opening up an additional location
The business must also be able to demonstrate how the COVID-19 pandemic has caused the need for the startup, relocation, or expansion of the business. This can be achieved by one or more of the following ways:
- The business is able to demonstrate a loss of revenue starting in March 2020 that necessitates the need to downsize to a smaller location or relocate to a location with lesser monthly lease expenses
- The business is able to demonstrate a change in its business operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic that necessitates the relocation
- The business is able to demonstrate how the products or services that are offered are directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic
- The commercial, office, or industrial location was unable to secure a tenant during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020 to current) or became vacant during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020 to current)
Eligible Locations
- The business must be located in a space within the City of Laurel incorporated boundaries
- The location must be zoned as one of the following:
- C-N – Commercial Neighborhood
- C-C – Commercial Community
- C-G – Commercial General
- C-SH – Commercial Shopping Center
- C-V – Commercial Village
- C-VAC – Commercial Village Activity Center
- O-B – Office Building
- O-B-E – Office Building
- I-CS – Industrial Commercial Services
- I-G – Industrial General
- I-RTP – Industrial Research and Technology Park
- The business must have a current signed leasing contract or a letter of intent to lease the location for three (3) years at the time of application
- The business must have an official signed leasing contract for a period of three (3) years within 30 days of receiving a grant approval letter
For more information, visit Smart Move Grant Program.