LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The deadline has been extended for small businesses to apply for Clark County grants aimed at helping with overdue rent or the cost of retrofitting establishments to comply with health and safety guidelines.

According to Clark County, applications for the grants must be now be received by 11:59 p.m. Aug. 11, 2020 with the rewards being made in late August.

“Many of our local small businesses have been hit the hardest by the pandemic,” Commissioner Michael Naft said.  “These grant programs can provide a much-needed financial boost to help businesses get through this difficult time.  Qualifying businesses employ our friends and neighbors and are the backbone of our economy.”

Grant programs:

  1. Small Business Rental Assistance program
    • Will provide up to $10,000 to cover past-due rent
  2. Small Business Protective Retrofit Grant
    • Will reimburse businesses up to $5,000 for costs such as purchasing personal protective equipment (PPE) for employees and installing no-touch doors and walk-up windows

All applications must be submitted online, the County stated in a news release.

Business owners can apply for both the Rental Assistance and Protective Retrofit grants.

To qualify for either grant, a business must:

  • Have a Clark County business license, Business location must be within Unincorporated Clark County
  • Have 20 or fewer employees as of March 15, 2020
  • NOT have received more than $25,000 in any federal COVID-19 relief loans or grant dollars
  • NOT have received grant funds from the Clark County Small Business Stabilization Grant
  • Have a valid commercial lease agreement not due to expire before December 31, 2020
  • Tenants’ landlords must be willing to participate
  • Have been operating on or before September 15, 2019
  • Have an actual financial hardship
  • NOT have any federal, state or county tax liens 

Additional information about grant qualifications is available online. The County says grant awards could be made in late August.

For business owners who may need help with the application process, you can go online to www.unlv.edu/sbdc, or call (702) 895-5019.

The funding for the grant programs comes from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) CARES Act.

The applications for the County’s Small Business Rental Assistance program and Small Business Protective Retrofit Grant are available to view at www.ClarkCountyNV.gov/EconomicDevelopment.