Waynesboro creates fund to help businesses through COVID-19

The Waynesboro Renaissance Fund will provide grants to businesses that have suffered a loss due to business closures related to COVID-19.

The U.S. Treasury guidance allows states to use Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) dollars for expenditures “related to the provision of grants to small businesses to reimburse the costs of business interruption caused by required closure.” The Commonwealth of Virginia has elected to disperse a portion of its allocation to local governments.

Waynesboro City Council has designated $100,000 of the city’s allocation to help preserve small business in Waynesboro by providing grants to eligible businesses.

Grants are competitive and are open to Waynesboro businesses with under 20 FTE W2 employees and that suffered a loss due to COVID-19. Grant funds may be used for a variety of reasons related to costs incurred by the business while it was closed or partially closed and/or costs related to reopening.

The complete list of business eligibility factors and allowable uses can be found at www.waynesborobusiness.com/recovery.

Applications will be available beginning at noon on June 10 and are due no later than June 22 at 9 a.m.

Grantees will be notified no later than June 30 and disbursement checks will be mailed immediately.

The Waynesboro Economic Development Authority will be administering the program and reviewing applications.