The Joint Economic Development Organization set aside $700,000 in December to help small businesses. Its small business task force has approved the application process that soon will allow most businesses in the county to apply for aid. The application won’t be active on any one specific day but must be live by April 19. “I wholeheartedly believe that we are going to make a difference in some local businesses,” said task force member and Shawnee County commissioner Aaron Mays. Who is eligible for the grant? This grant will be less stringent than Topeka’s small business relief fund, so much so that Corrie Wright, Topeka's director of housing services, said the city might contact businesses rejected from Topeka’s program and encourage them to apply for the JEDO program.