CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The City of Charlotte on Monday announced the Food Service Recovery Grant Program, which will provide $4 million to qualifying local businesses in the food and beverage industry that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The program is part of the city's Open for Business initiative, which will distribute $50 million to small businesses headquartered within Charlotte city limits and the local workforce impacted by COVID-19.
The application period opens at Noon on Monday, September 21, and closes on Monday, October 19. Grant funding will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.
Restaurants, bars, food trucks, and caterers with five or fewer employees are eligible for $10,000 in grants, and those with six or more employees can be awarded $25,000. Approximately 350 businesses will receive grant funding.
To be eligible, applicants must:
- Be headquartered within Charlotte city limits
- Have been established before January 1, 2020
- Have earned revenue of more than $30,000 in 2019
- Not be currently engaged in bankruptcy proceedings
- Not be a non-profit, liquor store or adult entertainment establishment
As part of the Open for Business initiative, the city will also be launching a StreetEats program, provide $400,000 towards supporting the local business community with an emphasis on local restaurants. StreetEats will leverage the city’s right of way, private streets and parking lots to provide outdoor dining opportunities to support local restaurants still struggling due to the on-going pandemic.
