Baltimore City restaurants will soon be able to apply for grant funding to offset expenses related to the coronavirus pandemic, Mayor Bernard C. Jack Young announced on Monday.
Restaurants can apply for the new $6.5 million grant fund, made available by the state of Maryland, from Nov. 12 to Nov. 24.
The Baltimore Development Corporation, the city’s quasi-public economic development arm, will not administer the grants on a first-come-first-served basis, rather they will prioritize applicant restaurants who are negatively affected by the pandemic and who have not received help from other grants or assistance programs.
Restaurants that are selected to receive funding can be awarded up to $50,000.
The city will also use a portion of the funds to support the Baltimore’s six public markets: Lexington Market, Avenue Market, Broadway Market, Cross Street Market, Hollins Market and Northeast Market.
Young said in a statement that the coronavirus pandemic “has been extremely tough on everyone,” including frontline workers, students, teachers, older adults, people experiencing homelessness, and local businesses.
Applications for the funding will open on Thursday, the same day that Baltimore City will reinstate some coronavirus-related restrictions, including lowering the capacity of restaurants and other businesses to 25%, in response to rising COVID-19 metrics.
“[E]ven though we are tightening restrictions that will further impact our restaurants we are excited to be able to provide some relief for the industry,” Young said.
“We are grateful to the State for making these funds available and the Baltimore Development Corporation for quickly being able to stand up this program so we can support restaurants in Baltimore City,” he added.
Colin Tarbert, president and CEO of the Baltimore Development Corporation, said the new grant funding will help keep Baltimore restaurants afloat as they grapple with economic losses from the pandemic.
“Baltimore Development Corporation made a deliberate decision to review and evaluate every application to ensure a more equitable distribution of funds,” Tarbert said in a statement. “Restaurants and their employees have been some of the hardest-hit as a result of COVID-19 and these grants will help restaurants offset their losses and stay open and maintain employment.”
To be eligible to receive funding, Baltimore restaurants must have been operating in 2019, provided indoor dining before COVID-19, and be operational at the time of applying for the grant. Businesses must have also submitted 2019 federal tax returns and be in good standing with the state of Maryland.
Restaurants that are only offering curbside or carryout service right now are eligible for the grant.
Businesses that previously applied for or receive a grant are eligible to apply again.
There is no gross revenue limit, and businesses of all sizes can apply.
The Baltimore Development Corporation will prioritize restaurants that do not have a drive-through window, restaurants that are owned by Baltimore City residents, minority-owned and women-owned businesses, and restaurants that suffered a “significant loss in revenue” that has not been offset by other grants and assistance programs.
Businesses can find more information about the grant program on the Baltimore Development Corporation’s “Baltimore Together” website. The link to apply will also be posted there on Nov. 12.
