The second round of Greene County Small Business American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, totaling $2.5 million, will be made available this week, with the application period lasting from Sept. 13 to Oct. 4.
Eligible small businesses across Greene County will be able to apply for up to $49,999 each. The county received a total of $56.9 million in ARPA funds in 2021 and has about $8 million left to allocate, according to grant coordinator Schuyler Crawford.
In the first round of funding, the Greene County Commission awarded $3.6 million to more than 300 small businesses in 2022.
“Small businesses and their employees are vital to our local economy and way of life,” Second District Commissioner John Russell said in the release. “They provide good jobs, services and products to our community, and a sense of connection that only comes from small business. We are thrilled to launch this final round of small business relief to those Greene County businesses that need it as we continue to make small businesses and their employees a priority.”
Second round of small business funding won’t employ ARPA committee
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, ARPA funds have paid for a variety of projects across Greene County. Funding recipients include businesses, nonprofits, municipalities and other government entities.
The Greene County Commission established a citizen advisory committee composed of 10 individuals and headed by ARPA grant and equity specialist Lyle Foster.
The committee provided the commissioners with recommendations on allocations for the first small business round and nonprofits, for which about $4.2 million was awarded for. However, the committee will not be employed for the second round of funding allocated for small businesses.
“As we experienced in that first small business round, there wasn't a lot of extra input into the small business awards that the committee was making,” Crawford told the Hauxeda.
Crawford said that was because recommendation amounts were primarily determined by a formula that took into account small businesses’ employee count and other components of their operations. Crawford adds the committee could be used again for future ARPA allocations if the commission sees fit.
In total, about $8 million was initially set aside for small businesses. Between the $3.6 million already allocated and the $2.5 million for the upcoming round of applications, about $1.9 million remains in Small Business ARPA funds.
Government entities in Greene County were awarded about $18 million in ARPA funding, and about $20 million was allocated for the Community Impact Program, which funded “transformational” projects that were required to align with the Greene County Needs Assessment.
All ARPA funds are required to be allocated by Dec. 31, 2024, and all funded projects must be completed by Dec. 31, 2026.
Organizations to spread word of small business funds
In order to make businesses around the county aware of the upcoming round of ARPA funding available, four organizations have been tasked to spread the word.
On Sept. 7, the Greene County Commission approved four small business community navigator service agreements with the Multicultural Business Association, the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Springfield Association and the Business Council of the Ozarks.
Each organization can receive up to $10,000 to provide businesses around the county with information about applying for ARPA funding. Each organization will get $5,000 for helping businesses in Springfield, with an additional $5,000 incentive if they help small businesses in other parts of Greene County, at the request of the commission.
The organizations not only help spread the word about the upcoming application window, but also educate small businesses on how to apply.
“I think it’s great,” Russell said. “The navigator program last time was very successful, and I’m glad we have other organizations willing to join this time. Help us do that, really get the word out that this program exists — help these small businesses, who do need the help.”
First District Commissioner Rusty MacLachlan was glad to see the incentive for the organizations to reach out to other cities in Greene County.
“I especially like the effort to reach out into the smaller communities,” MacLachlan said. “This will clean up some of those gaps that we missed last time.”
Criteria to qualify for ARPA funds
Eligibility for ARPA funds is determined by federal guidelines, but award amounts may be adjusted by the commission based on different factors. Funds may be used for a variety of expenditures, but businesses must ultimately document the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their operations.
Eligibility criteria includes:
- The business must have less than 100 employees;
- The business must be located in Greene County, Missouri;
- The business must be a for-profit or family-owned business that employs 100 or fewer employees, including the owner(s);
- The business must not employ undocumented immigrant workers and must be enrolled in E-Verify if they employ W-2 employees;
- The business must have existed in Greene County, Missouri as of March 1, 2020;
- The business must demonstrate the existence of negative impacts incurred as a result of the COVID-19 public health emergency since March 1, 2020;
- The business is not suspended or debarred from the use of federal funds.
The following expenditures are not allowable uses for ARPA funds:
- Paying non-business debt, such as personal credit cards for purchases not associated with the business;
- Personal expenses such as buying a new family car or making repairs to a home;
- Direct financing to political activities or paying off taxes and fines;
- Purchase of personal items;
- The purchase of drugs, tobacco, and/or alcohol;
- Food and entertainment;
- Bonuses;
- Travel not associated with direct business operations.
More information can be found on the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s website.
