County Accepting Applications for Business FIRST Grant Program

Westchester’s nonprofits and religious organizations impacted by COVID-19 pandemic can now apply for funding under the 2022 Westchester County Business FIRST grant program. The Westchester County Office of Economic Development announced this week that it is now accepting applications for this year’s grant program. This year’s grant program will provide up to $17 million. Applications will be accepted online and the application period will remain open for about four weeks.

“Our nonprofits and religious organizations have been a vital resource to the communities they support throughout the duration of the pandemic. This round of grant funding is an investment in organizations that are critical to our residents in need of financial relief,” said Westchester County Executive George Latimer.

Westchester County Director of Economic Development Bridget Gibbons said: “Westchester County’s nonprofits and religious organizations play an important role in our community and our economy. Many of these organizations have faced an increased demand for services, significant costs for personal protective equipment (PPE), loss of funding and other pandemic-related challenges that have impacted their operating costs and income. This grant funding will help to cover some of their expenses as they continue providing invaluable services throughout our communities.”

The County is offering technical assistance to help nonprofit and religious organizations with the application process. The goal is to ensure that the process to complete the application and submit it, along with the required documentation, isn’t a barrier to potential applicants. To facilitate this a number of experienced nonprofits will be providing support, led by Jan Fisher, Executive Director of Nonprofit Westchester. Organizations needing help applying for a grant can email Business-FIRST@westchestergov.com.To be eligible for a grant, the organization’s primary location must be in Westchester County. The organization must be currently open with plans to stay open, or temporarily closed with plans to reopen in 2022. For more information on the application process, visit https://westchestercatalyst.com/business-first-programs/grants/.