Baltimore Announces $6.5M Grant Fund To Help Restaurants During COVID-19 Pandemic
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Baltimore City restaurants will be able to receive up to $50,000 in funds to help them reopen and recover during the coronavirus pandemic, Mayor Jack Young announced Monday.
The $6.5 million set aside from the state will be given out by the Baltimore Development Corporation. It's meant to help offset COVID-19 related expenses restaurants spend to stay afloat or adjust to coronavirus restrictions.
"This pandemic has been extremely tough on everyone," Mayor Young said. "Frontline workers, students, teachers, older adults, residents experiencing homelessness, and our local businesses have all been greatly impacted by COVID-19. The government's role at times like these is to continue to support those communities and provide resources to lessen the impact. So, at this time, even though we are tightening restrictions that will further impact our restaurants we are excited to be able to provide some relief for the industry. These grants will prioritize those restaurants who have been adversely affected by the pandemic and who have been unable to access other grants or assistance programs. We are grateful to the State for making these funds available and the Baltimore Development Corporation for quickly being able to stand up this program so we can support restaurants in Baltimore City."
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Restaurants can apply for these funds starting November 12 through November 24. They will not be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.
Part of the funds will also be used to support the Baltimore Public Markets.
The application, along with grant criteria, can be found here. The city said it hopes to distribute the funds to local restaurants by the end of 2020.
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.
