Submitted by Thurston Economic Development Council
Thurston Strong will soon announce a call for applications for grants under the topical heading of Target Zone Small Business Startup Grants. The formal announcement will be made on March 1, with applications being accepted between that date and May 1, 2022.
Successful candidates are expected to be announced on or about June 1, 2022. A full description of the program can be found at www.thurstonstrong.org.
The Thurston County Target Zone Small Business Startup Grant program is a critical component of the broad Thurston Strong Economic Response, Recovery and Reset Plan.
The goal of the Startup Grant is to address economic inequity by investing in the areas and people most vulnerable to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Applicants will be considered eligible if they live within the identified target zone – areas that are characterized by one or more of the following:
- Poverty rate above 20%
- Above-average share of employment in industries threatened by economic disruption
- Above-average share of housing cost-burdened households
- Above-average share of households without health insurance
Alternatively, a prospective applicant may also be eligible for a business startup grant if they are a Thurston County resident and have a verifiable income at 65% or lower than the median income (AMI) for Thurston County.
Applications will be available starting March 1 and available at the Thurston Strong website. This initiative is supported by federal ARPA funding awarded through Thurston County. The Thurston Economic Development Council will oversee the project on behalf of the Thurston Strong partnership and serve as a direct contact for applicant and media inquiries.
