New Relief Fund to Aid Kirkland Businesses Impacted by Coronavirus

Press release from the City of Kirkland:

March 25, 2020

KIRKLAND, Wash. – The City of Kirkland, the Greater Kirkland Chamber of Commerce, and Banner Bank announced the creation of a Kirkland Small Business Relief Fund, a new program intended to provide immediate grants to qualifying small businesses and small nonprofits in Kirkland impacted by COVID-19. The Relief Fund received initial seed funding of $250,000 from Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, and is open to additional contributions.

The Chamber will act as the fiscal agent for the Relief Fund and will manage all contributions. A committee comprised of members from the Chamber and Banner Bank will review all applications and make all decisions regarding dispersal of grant funding. Eligibility criteria and application process are expected to be available in a matter of days.

“The Small Business Relief Fund is an extraordinary example of creative collaboration between the public and private sectors to bring immediate support to our Kirkland business community,” said Mayor Penny Sweet. “I’m so grateful for the generous seed funding from Google and the incredible leadership of the Greater Kirkland Chamber of Commerce, Banner Bank, and economic development staff at the City. We’re all in this together, and this fund demonstrates that.”

The Kirkland Small Business Relief Fund aims to provide immediate financial assistance to Kirkland’s hardest hit small businesses and small nonprofits in the form of unrestricted grants to support rent, employee salaries, and operating costs as a stop-gap relief pending the release and distribution of anticipated federal and state aid. It is expected that the Relief Fund will disperse grants to applicants in successive funding rounds, as contributions allow.

“COVID-19 and social distancing measures from the state and county have created many challenges for our local businesses,” said Samantha St. John, CEO of the Greater Kirkland Chamber of Commerce. “Although we should all still be supporting our local businesses in any way we can while following required social distancing, I invite all those in our community that are able to contribute to this fund to support Kirkland businesses. These are challenging times, but we can get through them together.”

For more information, including details on contributing to the fund, please visit: https://kirklandchamber.org/relief/

This press release was produced by the City of Kirkland. The views expressed here are the author’s own.