Fairfield, CT - First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick has announced a new program to assist Fairfield small businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Town of Fairfield has established the COVID-19 Small Business Assistance Program to provide limited, one-time direct financial assistance to eligible Fairfield small businesses that employ five or fewer employees and that have been adversely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
To be eligible for assistance under this program, business applicants must be a for-profit business enterprise physically located within the Town of Fairfield that employs five or fewer employees (i.e. a micro-enterprise). The business must have been in operation and be current on its federal, state and local tax obligations as of March 15, 2020, and must not have received, or been approved to receive, federal or state assistance for the same purpose.
Priority will be given to businesses that are either owned by, or the majority of their employees are classified as, persons of low/moderate income. Current income guidelines may be viewed at:
https://fairfieldct.org/filestorage/10726/11008/13302/18266/20275/HUD_INCOME_GUIDELINES_2020.pdf
The Program is being funded through a grant from the United States Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD), and administered by the Town of Fairfield’s Department of Community & Economic Development.
Eligible businesses may apply for grants of up to $5,000. Funding is limited, and it is anticipated that average grants will be in the range of $2,000-$3,000. Applications will be accepted and grants awarded on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted.
First Selectwoman Kupchick said, “Small businesses are integral to the success of this community and it’s been a very challenging few months. It’s very important that we do all that we can to help our small business community navigate these uncertain times, and provide resources and support they need to enable businesses to safely re-open and return to profitability.”
Fairfield’s Community & Economic Development Director Mark Barnhart said, “We know that these past few months have been extremely challenging for many small businesses, and that a number of these businesses have been unable to access meaningfully any federal or state assistance programs. We hope that this program will help fill those gaps, and provide assistance to those small businesses most in need so that they can respond to this pandemic.”
For questions or further information about the program, please visit the website at https://fairfieldct.org/covidsbr or e-mail cedoffice@fairfieldct.org or call (203) 256-3120.