ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – The Orange County Small Business BOOST program allocated approximately $26 million in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to help businesses still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.
Grants will be provided to local small businesses, home-based businesses and gig workers.
To qualify, businesses must have experienced a 25% decline in revenue due to the pandemic lockdowns.
Up to $10,000 can be given to small businesses, up to $3,000 for home-based businesses and up to $1,400 for gig workers.
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The grant can be used for business expenses like wages, mortgages, rent, utilities, payroll and other costs.
They are non-repayable and are issued on a “first-come, first-served” basis, but only to those who qualify.
Orange County resident Thomas Musolino plans to apply.
“It would definitely help overall just (kind of) alleviate the burden of everyday business,” Musolino said.
He has been sharing his glass-blowing skills with the community since 2017. He was based at Factur, a membership-driven maker space in Winter Park.
Then in 2022, he expanded and rented a building down the street.
As for Factur, the place he got his start, it closed two weeks ago, citing lasting impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.
“It’s just sad seeing a lot of these small businesses going out because they can’t make ends meet,” Musolino said.
That’s also a fear lingering in the back of his head.
“For COVID, just to stay afloat before I moved here, I had to take out a business loan,” Musolino said.
Expenses are rising quicker than the number of customers patronizing his shop.
“When things go south economically, the art community really takes the hit really hard because if you can’t afford food, you’re not (going to) go out and do a glass-blowing workshop,” Musolino said.
Still, he’s going to put his name in the hat for a grant from the county, if it means keeping his doors open.
“Don’t give up on us we’re trying,” Musolino said.
The upcoming Small Business BOOST information session is on Friday, July 21 at the National Entrepreneur Center.
The address is 3201 E. Colonial Dr., Orlando, FL 32803. Click here to register.
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