A feature of Greater Grays Harbor, Inc. (GGHI) is to provide business assistance and resource referral. This monthly Business Assistance Briefing is to share relevant and timely resources to support your business, regardless of size.

In today’s world it can be hard to navigate the waters when it comes to running your business, gaining access to capital, marketing woes, workforce needs, or just getting started – GGHI is here to assist. This month we are sharing a handful of new grants and resource assistance that businesses can apply for to recover from the pandemic or continue to grow with.

Hospitality & Lodging Grants

Application Portal will Open in March 2023

This program will award $100 million in one-time grants to eligible restaurants, hotels, motels, and other small hospitality businesses in Washington State that were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 public health crisis.

  • This grant program will provide assistance for eligible restaurants, bars, and other qualifying businesses negatively impacted by COVID-19 Pandemic.
  • This program will also provide assistance to “lodging establishments” taxable by the state under chapter 82.08 RCW with 40 or more lodging units affected by the Governors’ moratorium.

For detailed information click here

Creative Project Grant

Creative Project Grants offer funding to groups so they can provide communal arts and cultural experiences with and for the people of Washington State. Organizations do not need to have an arts-focused mission to apply.

For information about the grant click here.

ArtsWA grants ensure that organizations in Washington State can provide creative and cultural experiences with and for their communities. These grants fund projects, programs, and services that span artistic disciplines, cultures, and traditions. ArtsWA’s Grants to Organizations program represents a public investment in and commitment to cultural access for communities and arts professionals across the state.

FY24 ArtsWA Grants to Organizations programs are funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Businesses are encouraged to apply here.

Small Business Disaster Recovery Grant

Commerce has $9.7 available for grants to small businesses with annual gross receipts of $5 million or less that have sustained a reduction in business income or activity as the result of:

  • Natural disaster such as flood, earthquake, or comparable
  • Human-caused disaster such as a major utility disruption resulting in property damage or prolonged outages.

Grant limit is $75,000 per business. Funds may be used to reimburse the following eligible expenses:

  • Payroll
  • Utilities and rent
  • Marketing and advertising
  • Building improvements and repairs
  • Replacing damaged inventory and equipment
  • Other operational and business expenses related to a qualifying disaster.

Businesses are encouraged to apply here

Achieve More Grant for Women and Minority-Owned Small Business

The Washington Minority Business Development Agency Business Center (WA MBDA) has been serving the Washington State business community since 2016. One of the recurring needs we observed, and the community expressed to us, are barriers to accessing capital.

  • WA MBDA has allocated $200,000 to provide direct business resiliency grants that help minority and/or woman-owned businesses “achieve more.”
  • Recipients of the Achieve More Grant (AMG) can use the funds for infrastructure improvements, employee training, and business equipment.

Businesses are encouraged to apply here.

Manufacturing Enterprise Resource

Thanks to a grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce, Impact Washington will be aiding small, underserved Washington manufacturing businesses desperately need to grow.

  • Consulting and training can be in a wide range of areas such as strategic planning, implementing process improvement strategies, making, and developing a marketing plan, developing, and implementing workforce recruitment and plan, and much more.

Businesses are encouraged to apply here.

Are You Ready to Export?

The Washington Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is holding a Zoom Are you looking for ways to grow your business? In this webinar, the Washington Small Business Development Center, International Trade Team will help you assess if your business is ready to export and show how the SBDC and other resources can assist in the growth of your business through exporting.

Topics covered:

  • Introducing Washington SBDC International Trade team
  • How we help small businesses export – a success story
  • A roadmap to export success: export readiness, planning, compliance…
  • Q&A

Register to attend the event here.

Greater Grays Harbor hosts a Business Assistance page on our website that provides a lengthy list of resources related to business support.  We are happy to conduct a meeting with you to discuss business needs and how to navigate the vast resource network.

Please reach out to Loretta Thomas, Program Manager for Business Development at GGHI if you have questions or need some guidance along your business journey.