CASPER, Wyo. — The Wyoming Business Council is now accepting applications for the “Wyoming Business Interruption Stipend” program aimed to help businesses that were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The program is funded by federal CARES Act money and offers grants of up to $50,000 to independent Wyoming businesses who employ 50 or fewer full-time employees and experienced financial loss due to public-health orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the Wyoming Business Council said on Monday, June 8. “The Wyoming Business Council is now receiving applications for the Wyoming Business Interruption Stipend at wyobizrelief.org.”
“Applicants that did not receive federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding and were required to close because of state health orders will be processed first. Qualified applications will be processed in about 21 days.”
Further details about eligibility requirements for the program are available in this article or from wyobizrelief.org.
“For questions and support in the application process, business owners can reach out to their local chambers of commerce, economic developers, Main Street program managers and SBDC regionals, who are trained and ready to help,” the WBC add.
The launch of the $50 million business relief program is the first of three the Wyoming Business Council is administering $325 million in relief to business for COVID-19 impacts using federal CARES Act dollars received by the state. Those three programs are as follows:
- $50 million for the Wyoming Business Interruption Stipend program
- grants of up to $50,000
- available to Wyoming businesses with 50 employees or less
- $225 million for the Coronavirus Business Relief Stipend program
- grants of up to $300,000
- available to businesses with 100 employees or fewer
- $50 million for the Coronavirus Mitigation Stipend program
- grants of up to $500,000
- aimed to reimburse costs of personal protective equipment and other COVID-19 response costs
“The coronavirus created a storm that no one could have predicted or planned for, and which left many businesses drowning,” WBC CEO Josh Dorrell said. “These grants offer a lifeline; they are a hand up. Wyoming needs its small businesses to survive this storm today for the state to thrive into the future. Businesses that apply for these grants and continue to operate will contribute greatly to Wyoming’s recovery from the pandemic.”
The WBC’s website contains further information about the $50 million program, including the following:
-eligibility requirements
-an FAQ
-a grant amount calculator worksheet
-a link to register to receive Business Council media releases to keep up on the latest information about this and two future programs.
Wyoming Business Council
Funding for the programs became available after the Wyoming Legislature allocated the $325 million in CARES Act dollars during a special session and Govenor Mark Gordon signed the legislation.
The legislation tasked the WBC with administration of the programs and Gordon and the WBC have worked toward emergency rules to get the programs launched, which the governor approved on June 2.
“The rules were adopted May 29 by the Business Council Board of Directors during a special meeting,” the WBC add. “The Business Interruption Stipend rules can also be found at rules.wyo.gov. They create a simple, secure way for the Business Council to put federal CARES Act money directly into the hands of eligible Wyoming small-business owners.”
The $225 million Coronavirus Business Relief Stipend program and the $50 million Coronavirus Mitigation Stipend program are expected to launch in July, the WBC adds.
“Eligible businesses will be allowed to apply for more than one grant program,” the release continues. “Business owners who have not received money from the Paycheck Protection Program, or who were specifically named in the state public health orders, will receive priority in the Business Interruption Stipend program; however, businesses who have received federal funding are still eligible to apply.”
“The Business Council has prepared a simple application and secure process to distribute Business Interruption Stipend funds as quickly as possible to Wyoming business owners whose operations have been negatively affected by the novel coronavirus.”
