Working Washington Small Business Emergency Grants

Last month, Governor Inslee announced that he was releasing up to $5 million of the Governor’s Strategic Reserve Funds in the form of grants up to $10,000, to assist small businesses in Washington State adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic. In coordination with the Washington State Department of Commerce and our local county/regional economic development organizations, these grants are now being processed.  

Some counties such as King and Thurston have already stopped taking applications due to high volume, but there are several counties still issuing grants. To qualify, your company must be located in the county it is applying to, and must have been adversely affected by Covid-19.  

The process is a bit more involved than the CARES Act loans/grants, and it can take up to 6 weeks to process the grant once the application is submitted.  Nevertheless, if your business has another month or two before cash flow is an emergency, this may be the route for you. 

You’ll need to fill out a downloaded application and email it to your county’s economic development office. Applications will be prioritized and forwarded to the Department of Commerce where they will be reviewed and vetted before being sent to the Governor for signature. Approved funds will be distributed through your local Associate Development Organization.  

Awards are approved on a case-by-case basis and are dependent on the availability of funds. These funds are being made available in hopes that they will support small businesses through the pandemic and enable them to retain employees. 

Expenses eligible to be reimbursed through these grants are things like rents, utilities and supplies/inventory. Payroll is NOT considered an eligible expense for these grants, neither are travel or office expenses.  

If you need assistance filling out or submitting the application, please click here. We are happy to help.