Program Designed to Reimburse Businesses for Expenses Associated with COVID-19
The City of Champaign is again accepting Economic Support Grant Program applications from qualifying Champaign businesses to provide financial assistance and mitigate the negative business
impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Grant funds can be used to reimburse businesses that purchased equipment or supplies to protect their customers and employees and to facilitate their continued safe operations during the pandemic. The City of Champaign is awarding grant reimbursements of up to $10,000 for qualifying expenses that businesses incurred between March 1, 2020 and December 30, 2020.
Changes to this round include:
- An increase in the maximum award amount from $5,000 to $10,000. Businesses which received
funding in round one may reapply for additional reimbursements, however, no business will
receive more than $10,000 over the life of the program. - This round allows businesses with just one employee to apply, although the business must still be
located in a building outside of a residence.
This program continues to prioritize businesses most impacted by the pandemic through a ranking system. Hospitality businesses (including food and beverage, lodging, and event venues) will receive 5 points, retail or service businesses (including clothing, grocery, salons, fitness, and medical) will receive 4 points, and office or industrial businesses (including insurance, law, warehouse, and distribution) will receive 3 points. Additionally, businesses that can document they were closed during the reimbursement period with zero revenue for 31 or more days will receive an additional 2 points, and those closed with zero revenue for less than 31 days will receive 1 additional point. Qualifying grant applicants with the highest scores will be processed first and payments will follow the same ranking.
Applications will be accepted through 11:59 pm on May 26, 2021, and payments will be processed to the highest ranked applicants starting in June 2021. To review the grant qualifications and complete an application visit champaignil.gov/CUREGrant.
This grant reimbursement program was made possible through the State of Illinois’ Economic Support funding as part of the Coronavirus Urgent Remediation Emergency Support Program (CURE).