Grants for mountain businesses now available in San Bernardino County

The application process started Friday for grants for small businesses impacted by recent snow storms that hit San Bernardino County, officials announced.

The Mountain Small Business Grant Program was unveiled by San Bernardino County Chair and Third District Supervisor Dawn Rowe during the Board of Supervisors meeting on March 28. 

“The board unanimously approved the program to help mountain businesses impacted by this season’s crippling snowstorms get back on their feet,” the county’s announcement said. 

Under the grant program, mountain businesses and nonprofits with 50 or fewer employees are eligible for a one-time $3,000 grant, and businesses with more than 50 but fewer than 500 employees can get $15,000 to help with repairs and recovery efforts made necessary by the recent snowstorms, the county reported.

Qualifying businesses must have been open and operating before Feb. 27 and have a physical, brick-and-mortar location in the affected unincorporated San Bernardino Mountains that is used by employees and customers, according to the county. The funding is intended to help businesses cover overhead costs such as rent and utilities.

“The recent snowstorms had devastating impacts for many businesses in the mountains,” Rowe said in a statement. “These grants will help them to recover financially as they work to reopen to serve the community. I will continue working hard to obtain additional resources for our mountain businesses and residents.”

Many mountain businesses in San Bernardino County, such as Steven Ayala’s Apex Boxing and Fitness in Twin Peaks, were cut off from their customers or were unable to work in their stores, shops and offices for weeks because they were blocked by snow or isolated by unsafe roads. 

“The grants approved by the Board will help many of those businesses stay open, keep mountain residents employed, and contribute to the area’s economic recovery,” the county’s announcement said.

The grant application is now available at https://snowinfo.sbcounty.gov/.