Don't wait until the last minute! Applications for the Small Business Relief Grant Program are due by 5:00 p.m. tomorrow, Thursday July 2.

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) is overseeing the Small Business Relief Grants Program, which was passed by the Minnesota State Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Tim Walz on June 16, 2020. To learn more and apply, visit mn.gov/deed/relief.

This program will disburse $10,000 grants to Minnesotan owned and operated businesses that can demonstrate financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. More than $60 million is available for grant awards which will be selected through a computer-generated, randomized selection process.

Who can apply? Businesses with 50 or fewer full-time employees are eligible. Half of the funds will go to businesses in Greater Minnesota and half to businesses in the seven-county Twin Cities metro area. To be eligible, businesses must have a permanent physical location in Minnesota and be majority owned by a permanent resident of Minnesota.

Under the law, portions of the funding will be targeted toward businesses that fall into certain categories:

• $18 million for businesses with six or fewer full-time workers
• $10 million for minority business enterprises
• $2.5 million for businesses that are majority owned and operated by veterans
• $2.5 million for businesses that are majority owned and operated by women
• $2.5 million for operators of indoor retail and food markets with an ethnic cultural emphasis (Please note that this is a separate application process, click here for additional information and the application)

Additional information about eligibility, frequently asked questions, and the online form to apply are available now at mn.gov/deed/relief – the application shouldn't take long, but the online portal for applications will close at 5:00 p.m. tomorrow, Thursday July 2.