Ohio DSA Launches Two More Grant Programs to Help Small Businesses

The Ohio Development Services Agency has created two new grant programs to help small businesses recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. These programs are targeted to help small businesses that have disproportionately been affected by closures, or have pivoted to help end shortages of protective medical gear. The two grants are funded by federal CARES Act stimulus funds.

1. Ohio Minority Micro-Enterprise Grant Program

• This program provides $10,000 in funding to help companies through the current crisis and set them up for the future.
• To be eligible, businesses must have been certified as a Minority Business Enterprise or woman-owned EDGE-certified business as of Feb. 29, 2020; have 10 or fewer employees and up to $500,000 in annual revenue; and have not received funding under the federal CARES Act.
• To qualify, businesses must be current on all taxes and private or public loans.
• Grants will be awarded on first-come, first-served basis.

2. Ohio PPE Retooling and Reshoring Grant Program

• This program grants to manufacturers and other entities to assist in retooling existing facilities through purchasing necessary equipment to manufacture critically needed Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) for use in Ohio or reshoring PPE production to Ohio.
• These grants will allow small manufacturers and other entities an opportunity to create new business while contributing to the fight against COVID-19. The applicant must qualify as a small business as defined by the SBA (typically 500 employees or fewer) or be an established nonprofit.
• Eligible applicants may be awarded a grant of up to $500,000 per facility. Up to 20% of available funding may be reserved for manufacturers with fewer than 25 employees and registered nonprofits.
• Eligible uses of grant funds include costs incurred to acquire equipment necessary to manufacture PPE, retool, or construct facilities in Ohio to manufacture PPE (including, but not limited to, building costs, design/engineering costs, facility expansion, complying with FDA requirements) and technological upgrades. Only costs incurred after March 21, 2020, (the date of Governor DeWine’s state of emergency declaration in Ohio due to COVID-19) will be eligible for reimbursement.
• To be eligible, the applicant must be able to produce the PPE solely at an Ohio facility owned and operated by applicant.
• To be eligible, the applicant must be one of the following:
• An existing manufacturer that either has retooled or is planning to retool its facility or otherwise modify its manufacturing operation to produce at least one type of PPE identified below;
• A new manufacturing operation being established for the purpose of manufacturing at least one type of PPE identified below; or
• A nonprofit corporation that has undertaken or will undertake activities necessary to manufacture at least one type of PPE identified below.
• To be eligible, the applicant must be producing or plan to produce one of the following types of PPE: surgical masks, gowns, gloves, community masks, face shields, thermometers, hand sanitizer, cleaning and sanitizing products, or another type of PPE approved by the DSA.
• To be eligible, the applicant must be in good standing with the Ohio Department of Taxation and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and be registered with the Ohio Secretary of State.
• To be eligible, the applicant must agree to make best efforts to sell PPE produced as a result of this grant program in Ohio before seeking buyers outside of the state.

Do you want to discuss your options during the COVID-19 crisis? If so, please comment below, contact Kari Brooke at (513) 675-0848 or kari.brooke@brixeyandmeyer.com to discuss how we can help you.