City Of Seattle Announces $2 Million For Small Businesses And Organizations Most Impacted by Vaccine Verification Requirements

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and Seattle City Council recently announced that the city had given the Office of Economic Development (OED) 2 million district to the Small Business Stabilization Fund (SBSF). Up to 2,000 eligible small businesses and organizations that must enforce this policy will receive additional funding of up to $ 1,000 to offset the economic impact of this requirement.

Eligible sectors for this additional funding include restaurants, performing arts and culture establishments, nightlife spaces and indoor after-school / recreational activities (such as bowling alleys, gyms, gaming facilities, etc.). Eligible applicants do not need to submit a separate application to gain access to this additional funding. The more than 500 companies in these sectors that have already applied for this SBSF round are automatically eligible and do not have to reapply.

“We listened to the science every step of the way – that’s why Seattle has the lowest cases, hospital admissions, and deaths of any major city, and one of the highest vaccination rates. Verifying the vaccine is the right thing to do to keep our communities safe. Seattle is on the rise again, and as we implement this vaccine verification, it’s important that we support our small businesses and art community as needed, ”said Durkan.

All small businesses and non-profit organizations such as performing arts, cultural institutions, or business technical support organizations are encouraged to apply for the Small Business Stabilization Fund by November 14, 2021. All applicants in the above eligible sections who are required to enforce vaccination verification policy may receive this additional funding of up to $ 1,000 even if they are not selected for a stabilization fund during the random selection process. Organizations and companies that have not yet applied for a grant from the Stabilization Fund should apply for these additional funds as soon as possible. The vaccine verification grants of up to $ 1,000 are expected to be distributed in December 2021 following the approval of the 2021 Supplementary Budget.

“Long before King County introduced vaccine verification, more than 140 institutions were asking for proof of vaccination. Grappling with workers and small businesses struggling to stay open means helping with vaccine verification implementation and enforcement. Analysis by the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) found that vaccine verification guidelines alone in restaurants, bars, and gyms / fitness centers could prevent 17,900 to 75,900 infections, 421 to 1,760 hospital admissions, and 63 to 257 on-site deaths over six months. This move will save lives, take the pressure off our healthcare workers and keep small businesses open, ”said Councilor Lisa Herbold.

To be eligible for Small Business Stabilization Fund grant, businesses and nonprofits must be currently open and operating, have 50 or fewer full-time equivalent employees, be located within Seattle city limits, have no more than two locations, and one annual Net sales are at or less than $ 2 million and have a net annual loss totaling or greater than the SBSF grant amount requested as per City Business and Occupation (B&O) data. To apply for the Small Business Stabilization Fund or to learn more about eligibility requirements and the application process, visit seattle.gov/SmallBusinessStabilizationFund.

“We are asking our small businesses to make one more changes to their operations to help us respond to the realities of COVID in our city. We know these changes can add additional costs to companies doing their best to stabilize. I am grateful for the resilience of our small business owners and believe that this additional funding can ease some of the financial pressure they are under as we move into a new phase of our city’s recovery, ”said Pamela Banks, interim director of the Office of Economic Development.

City Of Seattle Announces $2 Million For Small Businesses And Organizations Most Impacted by Vaccine Verification Requirements

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