MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - At a Special Township Board Meeting held on Friday, December 18th, the Board unanimously approved the Meridian Economic Development Corporation (EDC) to provide economic support to the Township’s small business community. This will be done by providing a second round of grants through the Small Business Relief Grant Program. This program was originally developed in May 2020 as a way to help out local businesses affected by COVID-19.

The Meridian EDC and Township Board have allocated $500,000 for approximately 70 businesses to receive up to $7,000 in funding each. The quantity and the amount of these awards will be determined on a case-by-case basis by the review of a Meridian EDC subcommittee. The grant program funding comes exclusively from the Meridian Redevelopment fund, which should be reimbursed by CARES Act dollars designated to Meridian Township. The first round of grants from the Townships Small Business Relief Grant Program was distributed in June 2020. A total of 42 grant awardees received $4,000 each.

“With the recent rise in COVID-19 cases, we are all on edge and our business owners are struggling. It is imperative that we take action to help our businesses make adaptations, so they can remain open. We all thought the pandemic would be over sooner, now it’s December and we are still seeing the impacts. We can stay vigilant by helping our business ecosystem stay healthy,” said Amber Clark, Meridian Township’s Neighborhoods & Economic Development Director.

The application period of the grant program begins December 21, 2020 and ends at 12:00 pm on January 5, 2021. Grants are anticipated to be awarded on January 8, 2021, with funds distributed by January 15, 2021. A review committee will be responsible for grant application review and scoring. The committee will then recommend the top finalists for the Meridian EDC’s final approval.

The criteria for this round of grants is slightly different than before. All businesses seeking funds must meet all the following requirements:

-The business is in the jurisdictional boundaries of Meridian Township.
-The business is not delinquent on any accounts, fees, taxes, or assessments owed to Meridian Township.
-The business has a physical (brick-and-mortar) location.

More information can be found at the link below or by watching the attached video.