Oswego Is Offering Grants Up To $20K For Businesses Amid Pandemic

OSWEGO, IL — The Village of Oswego is offering a new round of grants up to $20,000 starting Monday to local businesses in an attempt to mitigate the effects of COVID-19.

Businesses can receive funding from any combination of four grant programs:

The Rent Assistance Grant provides up to $5,000 for businesses struggling to pay rent
because of the pandemic.

The Restart Grant provides up to $5,000 in working capital for businesses to reopen following a temporary closure or substantially reduced hours, including expenses related to inventory, payroll and improvements related to complying with Illinois DCEO COVID-19 mitigation guidelines.

The Restaurant Operations Grant provides up to $5,000 for costs related to expanding
outdoor dining, establishing carryout service, contactless ordering, certain marketing
expenses, and similar costs.

The Business Support Grant provides up to $10,000 to replace revenue lost because of
the COVID-19 pandemic that is not otherwise offset by the other three grant programs.
Grant funds must be used to support continued operations, maintain payroll, pay off
lines of credit used because of the pandemic, or otherwise be reinvested into the
business.

Business owners may apply for multiple grants, but the total awarded for all grants cannot
exceed $20,000. Full terms and conditions of each grant program are available within the
application. Businesses can apply for multiple grants through a single application.

"We know how badly the COVID-19 pandemic has hurt our business community, and I am
pleased that the Village of Oswego has been able to secure this funding for our small
businesses," Village President Troy Parlier said in a release. "I encourage businesses in our community that have been hit hard by the pandemic and related shutdowns to apply for this much-needed relief."

Oswego secured funding for this grant program through the Illinois Department
of Commerce and Economic Opportunity via the Federal CARES Act. Applicant businesses must
meet certain eligibility standards set by the Illinois DCEO, and businesses that have already
received Business Interruption Grants from the State of Illinois are not eligible for the Village’s
COVID-19 grant programs.

Grant funds must be used to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on business from March 1
through Dec. 30. Businesses seeking assistance will need to submit documentation
of expenditures or income loss.

The application portal opens on Monday at www.oswegoil.org. Grant applications will be accepted through 5 p.m. Nov. 30. Applications will be evaluated based on grant criteria and available grant funds. Businesses will be notified of grant awards on or around Dec. 10, and checks will be made available on Dec. 16.

A total of $250,000 is available for this program.

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