Grant funding boosts pandemic recovery for Perinton small businesses

Grant funding boosts pandemic recovery for Perinton small businesses

More than four dozen small businesses shared in $200,000 in awards from the town of Perinton’s Recovery Grant Program, which assisted small businesses with expenses and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The grant program was created through funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

The town board on Tuesday night unanimously approved awards to all 49 applicants. The largest grants were $7,500 and the average allotment was around $4,000.

Of the 49 recipients, 20 percent were nonprofit organizations and 49 percent were located in the village of Fairport.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendously negative impact on many small businesses and nonprofit organizations over the past several years,” Perinton supervisor Ciaran Hanna said in a news release. “Now that the worst of the pandemic has passed, difficult economic conditions have left these same organizations struggling as they attempt to recover from increased expenses and reduced revenues.

“Supporting our community’s small businesses and nonprofits in their revitalization and recovery is a top priority. We hope these grant dollars will help business owners keep their doors open, protect local jobs, support community recovery and increase the resiliency of businesses in the town and village.”

The town partnered with the Fairport Foundation to help administer the program and evaluate applications. Scoring was based on impact to revenue, COVID-19 related expenses, pivot procedures and the recovery experience of each organization.

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