Downtown businesses encouraged to apply for grants

UPDATE: Susanne Knutsen, Economic Development Manager with the City of Davenport, provided an overview of the Small Business Resiliency Project and grant opportunities during this Quad Cities Chamber webinar.

Eligible Davenport businesses affected by COVID-19 may now apply for grants of up to $20,000 through the City of Davenport’s Small Business Resiliency Project. The City will fund the project with about $900,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds awarded through the CARES Act. Grants may be used for rent or mortgage payments, utility costs, employee salaries or wages and operational expenses, such as inventory.

Eligible businesses must:

• have fewer than the equivalent of 50 full-time employees;
• have been located in Davenport prior to March 16, 2019, and remain open for business as of the application date;
• be in good standing with all local taxes, licenses and permits;
• have not received reimbursement or funding from any other local, state or federal relief programs for the same items they are applying for under the Resiliency Project; and
• meet the federal CDBG national objective – at least 51% of the workforce must be part of a low-to-moderate income household

"Our downtown small businesses are still in need of direct financial assistance to survive this pandemic," said Kyle Carter, Executive Director of the Downtown Davenport Partnership (DDP). "We're pleased to see the City's robust program, and DDP is eager to assist in the application process."

• Downtown businesses may contact Carter for assistance
• Small Business Resiliency Project FAQ
• Download the application

Applicants can email their application to ed@davenportiowa.com, or mail to:

City of Davenport
Economic Development
226 W 4th St