The Nevada County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved $250,000 to help several businesses already identified to receive the funding.
Making a case for funding before the supervisors was Emily Blackmer, economic development project manager, and Kristin York, vice president of business innovation of the Nevada County Relief Fund. Blackmer explained it is she who often informs applicants they are recipients of a grant.
“It is the best part of my day,” Blackmer said. “The folks who receive a grant are so profoundly grateful. So, I say ‘thank you’ for facilitating this.”
This was a fifth round of funding assisted by the Nevada County Relief Fund. It, along with government agencies and donors, have provided a combined $1.3 million of which half was comprised of small, private contributions, since April 2020 a month after the pandemic forced shutdowns across the country.
Nevada County Relief Fund Awards $192,500 to 79 Small Businesses
Thanks to an allocation of $250,000 by the Board of Supervisors to promote post-pandemic economic recovery, all the eligible small businesses who applied will receive a micro-grant of up to $5,000 from the Nevada County Relief Fund.
The Nevada County Relief Fund’s fifth round of grantmaking was entirely funded from the County’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allotment. Last month, the Board of Supervisors set aside nearly $6 Million of ARPA funds for the purpose of “Community & Economic Resiliency.”
“It’s gratifying to see this money from Washington go where it’s most needed right now, our small business community,” said Board Chair Dan Miller. “I applaud the resiliency of every small business in Nevada County who weathered the pandemic. It’s great to walk around our business districts and see people smiling again.”
Staff Report
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. The Tahoe Water Supplier Association, Sierra Business Council, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and Western Nevada College are partnering with greenUP! to offer a free green lodging workshop for small to medium hotels, lodges and the hospitality industry.
The workshop, which is made possible with grant funding provided from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, aims to grow environmental protection and sustainability efforts in the Tahoe Truckee region.
“Sustainability experts from across the Lake Tahoe Region will be representing at the Tahoe Truckee Green Lodging Workshop on May 11 and 12,” said Donna Walden, President of the greenUP! Board in a press release. “This is an interactive workshop and the vision is to help businesses preserve Lake Tahoe and other tourist destinations for future generations.”