DES MOINES, Iowa- More than 10-thousand Iowa businesses, impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic have applied for help thru the state's Small Business Relief Program, which includes tax deferral. Nearly four-thousand have applied for COVID-19 relief grants from the state, prompting the governor to expand the program, from $4 million to $24 million. The first round of funding is going to 500 restaurants, bars, and breweries, hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, since those businesses were among the first to close or drastically scale-back their operations.

Debi Durham of the Iowa Economic Development Authority says the agency has been contacted by businesses from every sector and every region, reporting severe impacts from the pandemic.

"Judging by the thousands of emails and phone calls, it re-enforces what we already know, our small businesses are the backbone of our communities and we are working closely with Governor Reynolds to leverage state resources to help as many businesses as possible," said Durham.

Durham says the IEDA received nearly 14-thousand small business relief grant applications, including at least 15 applications from every Iowa county. She says each one was considered and awards were given to businesses that had the greatest revenue disruption. She says the program is designed to be short-term, stop-gap, until federal resources are identified or available.

Durham says the first round of 500 email notifications are going out this week. The initial round totaled more than $10 million with grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000. She says those who have not been notified, will be considered for future funding rounds, and no additional application will be needed.

The IEDA suggests business owners impacted by the virus check out www.iowabusinessrecovery.com for info about programs and resources

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