In May, the Board of Supervisors voted to create the Fairfax Relief Initiative to Support Employers (Fairfax RISE). The grant application will open at 9:00 AM on Monday, June 8 and close Monday, June 15 at 11:59 PM.
The program’s primary purpose is to provide immediate relief to small businesses and nonprofits impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Fairfax County hopes to help small businesses and organizations remain in business through the Covid-19 emergency and address gaps that may exist among complementary programs.
Fairfax RISE will offer grants to qualified businesses or nonprofits that will not have to be repaid. It also specifically establishes a minimum allocation of 30% of the program’s total dollars ($7.5 million) towards awards for minority, veteran, and women-owned businesses. Minority-owned companies with employees account for 32% percent of businesses in Fairfax County, and collectively, all minority, women, and veteran-owned businesses employ 80,000 people in the County, with total annual revenues of $14.4 billion.
The amount of any Fairfax RISE award a business or nonprofit may receive will be made based upon the number of full-time equivalent employees that entity has, according to the following structure:
- 1 – 10 employees: $10,000
- 11 – 25 employees: $15,000
- 26 – 49 employees: $20,000
On Tuesday, June 9 at 11:00 a.m., the County’s Department of Economic Initiatives (DEI) and its contractor will hold a Q&A webinar for interested parties to learn about Fairfax RISE. There will be a short presentation, followed by questions via chat, from participants. The webinar information is below.
Date and time: Tuesday, June 9, 2020 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Registration URL: https://bit.ly/2UcuotO
Event number: 161 180 4501
Event password: 4p6yK8KdxXd
Via phone: 415-655-0003/Access code: 161 180 4501
DEI will oversee and monitor the Fairfax RISE grant program. For more information visit https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/economic-success/fairfaxrise or contact DEI at Economicinitiatives@fairfaxcounty.gov or 703-324-5171.