County Set-Asides End July 31, 2021

Press Release from Governor's Office (July 16, 2021)

(COLUMBUS) — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today reminded Ohio business owners that grants are available through the Ohio Department of Development (Development) to help small and medium-sized businesses recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

A total of $310 million is being offered across four grant programs to help new businesses that opened in 2020, food and beverage establishments, entertainment venues, and lodging venues. To ensure the grants are spread throughout the state, each program has a set-aside amount of funding for each of Ohio's 88 counties. If businesses in a county do not deplete the county’s allocation by July 31, the remaining funds will become available to businesses statewide.

"I strongly encourage Ohio's small and medium-sized business owners to apply for these grants," said Governor DeWine. "Funding is set aside for businesses in all of Ohio's 88 counties and grants range from $10,000 to $30,000 apiece. As we continue our recovery from the pandemic, we want to give our local businesses this money to help them successfully move forward." 

When Governor DeWine announced the launch of these grant programs in June, the grant fund totaled $155 million with money made available by the Ohio General Assembly through Senate Bill 108 and Senate Bill 109. On July 1, the fund doubled to $310 million when the new fiscal year budget was approved by the Ohio General Assembly and signed by Governor DeWine. 

All four programs are administered by Development. Program guidelines, terms and conditions, and required documentation for all four programs are available at BusinessHelp.Ohio.Gov. Applications opened June 29 and will remain open until funds are exhausted.

Ohio Small Business Development Centers and Ohio Minority Business Assistance Centers are staffed with advisors who can help businesses with the application process.