Mayor Bowser, through the Department of Housing and Community Development, made the first round of award notifications to 190 grantees for the East of the River Small Business Economic Relief Microgrant Program for eligible small businesses in Ward 7 and 8 affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19).

“Based on the number of applicants seeking relief, it’s clear that small businesses in Wards 7 and 8 have been greatly impacted by this public health emergency,” said DHCD Director Polly Donaldson. “Our goal is to help as many eligible small businesses as possible with the resources we have available.”

The program was funded through DHCD’s federal allocation from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). 

Award amounts will be based on whether a business closed or modified its operations and if resources were received from the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development's DC Small Business Recovery Microgrants program. Additional grants may be dispersed after a final assessment of remaining applications concludes; the deadline for applications closed on May 29, 2020.

A full report on grantees will be available in August.

For more resources and information about the District’s response to COVID-19, please visit coronavirus.dc.gov.