Jump Start Grants Available to Frederick County Small Businesses

FREDERICK, Md. – Frederick County Executive Jan Gardner today announced the launch of a new grant program to support local small businesses and farmers. She earmarked $5 million to award through the new Jump Start Grants Program. Jump Start grants are designed to assist small for-profit businesses and nonprofit organizations that experienced financial loss caused by the coronavirus. The county’s Office of Economic Development will administer the program.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our community,” Executive Gardner said. “I am excited to offer Jump Start grants to help our farmers and small businesses return to thriving.”

The Frederick County Jump Start Grants Program offers three grant opportunities:

Full-time Farmer Grants - $6,000 in one-time funds to qualifying full-time farmers. Full-time farmers qualify if they earned the majority of their gross income (51% or greater) from farming over the past two years.

Small Business Grants - $10,000 in one-time funds for businesses with physical commercial space and with 10-50 employees, full or part-time. Businesses can be for-profit or nonprofit;

Micro Business Grants - $3,300 in one-time funds for businesses with up to nine employees. Employees can be W-2 or 1099 employees of a for-profit or nonprofit business, including sole proprietors.

Micro businesses must have physical commercial space to qualify. Applications will be accepted from 7 a.m. Thursday, May 28, until 11:59 p.m. Friday, June 5. Businesses must be located in Frederick County, or have more than 50% of employees or gross sales at their Frederick County location; employ 50 or fewer full-time-equivalent employees; and have incurred financial losses as a result of the public emergency. Applications for the Jump Start Grants must be made online at FrederickCountyMD.gov/JumpStart. The website also provides eligibility requirements, application instructions, and answers to frequently asked questions. Please note that while financial information will be kept confidential, the names of businesses receiving grants and the amount they receive are public information.

Questions about eligibility criteria or required documentation can be sent to info@discoverfrederickmd.com.