St. Louis County Preps Third Round Of COVID Relief Assistance

More relief is in sight for operators of small businesses and non-profits in the Northland.  St. Louis County is getting details together for a third round of COVID-19 Relief Assistance for those who qualify. This new round of assistance money in the form of St. Louis County Small Business Relief Grants will utilize dollars available from the State of Minnesota.

The initial application period will begin in mid-January.  Businesses will be able to apply for up to $45,000 - with stipulations that the funds are used for direct COVID-19 related expenses - such as PPE and cleaning supplies as well as operating expenses - including rent, mortgage, utilities, real estate taxes, and insurance. Eligible small businesses can even use the grant funding for payroll.

Qualifications for St. Louis County Small Business Relief Grants includes a physical location in the county for both businesses and non-profits.  Additionally, there can be no current tax liens on record with the Secretary of State at the time of the application and they must have been impacted by a Minnesota Executive Order related to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

St. Louis County has received a sizeable amount of funds to use from the State of Minnesota.  $3.8 million will be available during this third phase of COVID-19 relief.

At the present time, the county is still finalizing actual application dates.  Additionally, the county anticipates that they will be holding virtual presentations about the grant program and application instructions; those dates are also being arranged at this time.

For more details about the program, contact the St. Louis County  Planning and Community Development Department:  218-725-5000.