Ulster County award goes to support small businesses

KINGSTON, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Ulster County announced that through collaboration with the Ulster County Legislature and Ulster County Department of Economic Development, $1,000,000 of American Rescue Plan funding provided to Ulster County will be awarded to over 25 small- to medium-sized businesses creating a second small business assistance program for the County. The small business assistance program, known as the Ulster County Cares II Small Business Assistance program, released the application on September 30.

The funding comes from Ulster County’s $34 million  American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) award. Over $24 million of the total ARPA funding has been allocated for projects across vertices including infrastructure and trails, housing, government and COVID-19 response, mental health and addiction recovery, and economic recovery and community programs.

Acting County Executive Johanna Contreras states, “In reviewing applications for our CARES I program, we learned more about how the pandemic impacted our small, local businesses. I’m proud that we are using our ARPA funds to provide a second round of critical funding for the Ulster County small business community.”

Formal submissions will be accepted beginning October 31 - December 11. Informational webinars will be held via Zoom on October 25 and October 27. To qualify for funding, businesses must have 25 or fewer employees. A wide variety of business expenses, including rent, payroll, equipment, and fixed assets will be eligible. The maximum grant award per business is $35,000.Full application and instructions are available on the Ulster County website.