Abbotsford businesses can now apply for relief grants of up to $2,500 to help their recovery from the effects of COVID-19.
The grants are part of the work being done by the Abbotsford Business Community Coalition, which came together to try to help local businesses survive COVID-19.
Applications for the coalition’s relief fund are open. The deadline for the first batch of funds is June 10 at noon.
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“We’re already seeing lot of interest in the Emergency Relief Fund and the wraparound programs we’ve put in place,” Jennifer McEwan, the executive director of the Abbotsford Downtown Business Association, said in a news release. “We think we’ll be able to keep growing the pool of available funds with the generous support of some big organizations that are pillars of the local business community.”
The coalition has also “launched a peer-to-peer business mentorship program, connecting merchants with business peers in larger organizations and enabling businesses of different sizes to draw upon each other’s strengths,” according to the press release.
And the coalition has now rolled out its Digital Pivot Initiative – a free way for merchants to reach customers online.
The group is also trumpeting the Support Local BC initiative. And one of the coalition’s members, Abbotsford Tech District, is buying $5,000 worth of gift certificates from local food and beverage companies, then donating those certificates to local charities and organizations.
The coalition’s members include the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce, A&Co, Abbotsford Downtown Business Association, Abbotsford Tech District, City of Abbotsford, Community Futures South Fraser, Fraser Valley Indo Canadian Business Association, Tourism Abbotsford, the University of the Fraser Valley, and the Abbotsford Airport. Its media partners include the Abbotsford News, The Patrika, Star 98.3 FM and Country 107.1 FM.