Charleston County microbusinesses eligible for pandemic relief program

Listen to this article

Charleston County microbusinesses have until Friday to apply for up to $25,000 in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds from Charleston County.

In March, the Charleston County Council approved the funding to assist mom-and-pop businesses adversely impacted by the pandemic. The Charleston County Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization Microbusiness Pandemic Relief Program is funded by the American Rescue Act of 2021, according to a news release.

Eligible applicants include:

• Businesses with a primary physical location within Charleston County.
• For-profit businesses which were in operation prior to March 16, 2019.   
• Businesses with 10 or fewer employees and annual revenue under $500,000.
• Businesses that have not received any previous pandemic relief assistance, such as funding from the Paycheck Protection Program.

Businesses receiving the funds must remain located in the county and owners cannot sell the business for at least one year after receipt of grant funds, the news release said.

Eligible businesses must be in good standing with Charleston County government and the S.C. Secretary of State. They must also be able to provide documentation that the business income suffered as a result of COVID-19. Applications are online as well as more details about the grants.