Erie County Legislator John Mills is urging small businesses throughout the community to apply for Erie County’s new business assistance program.

The program, announced Tuesday, provides anywhere from $10,000 to $45,000 grants to qualifying businesses recovering from COVID-19-related losses.

Legislator Mills said, “It’s important small business owners are aware of these funds and apply as soon as possible. While I do have concerns about the way the program was established and how funding could be applied, I want to urge everyone who could use this money to submit an application. Businesses are hurting because of the COVID-19 pandemic and need all the assistance they can get during these challenging times. Supporting our small business community in Erie County continues to be one of my top priorities as your county legislator.”

Qualifying businesses must meet the following criteria:

• Business type: For-profit (Sole proprietorships, LLCs, LLPs, C-Corps, and S-Corps)
• Age of company: Formally established and in continuous operation since at least Oct. 1, 2019
• Location: Based in Erie County, NY; the Founder/CEO and 90% of staff must be located in the region
• Revenue: Generated less than $7.5M in revenue over the course of 2019
• Employees: 50 or fewer W-2 based FTEs (Consultants and 1099s do not count toward this total)
• Other: Companies must be able to provide evidence of a significant loss of gross revenue, or a reduced level of production, sales, employment, or service due to COVID

The application link can be found at www.BacktoBizgrants.org.

Any business owner with questions or concerns can contact Legislator Mills’ office at John.Mills@erie.gov or by phone at 716-858-8850.