Ohio launches $155 million in grants to Ohio businesses

The state of Ohio will begin accepting applications on Tuesday, June 29 for four grant programs that target businesses that have suffered significant losses during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The small grant programs will provide a total of $155 million to businesses that opened in 2020, food and beverage establishments, entertainment venues, and lodging venues. 

Grants for the food and beverage establishments total $100 million, grants for entertainment venues total $20 million, lodging grants total $25 million, and the new small business grants total $10 million. Businesses can only apply for one of the four grant programs. The money comes from federal aid awarded to the state of Ohio. The funds were made available by the Ohio General Assembly as part of Senate Bill 108 and Senate Bill 109 that Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law.

The Ohio Development Services Agency will administer the following four grant programs:

• Food and Beverage Establishment Grant: This program will provide grants of $10,000, $20,000, or $30,000 to restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and other food and drinking businesses. The amount of individual grants to eligible businesses will be determined by the business’ loss of revenue in 2020.
• Entertainment Venue Grant: This program will provide grants of $10,000, $20,000, or $30,000 to theaters, music venues, spectator sports venues, museums, and other entertainment venues. The amount of individual grants to eligible businesses will be determined by the business’ loss of revenue in 2020.
• Lodging Grant: This program will provide grants of $10,000, $20,000, or $30,000 to hotels, motels, and bed and breakfast operations. The amount of individual grants to eligible businesses will be determined by the business’ decline in occupancy rate in 2020.
• New Small Business Grant: This program will provide grants of $10,000 to small businesses that were established between Jan. 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2020.

Each grant program requires applicants to have an OH|ID. Businesses should register at OH|ID by creating an account with a username/password.

The small business grants will be awarded on a first-come, first served basis. Each county in Ohio will receive roughly $500,000 initially and then funds will be allocated to areas most in need. When a county’s allocation is depleted, businesses in that county will be eligible to receive grants from the remaining funds in the overall grant program. If businesses in a county don’t deplete the county’s allocation by July 31, 2021, the remaining funds will become available to businesses statewide.

More information can be obtained at the Ohio Development Services Agency website, including each grant program’s terms and conditions, fact sheets, and frequently asked questions.