Small Business Relief Program

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.

The Port of Bellingham’s Regional Economic Partnership is launching a limited fund grant program sponsored by the Department of Commerce. The Port of Bellingham has $100,000 to fund the Small Business Relief Program.  

The grant application period was between May 31, 2021 at 8:00 AM PST and closed on Monday, June 7, 2021 at 11:59 PM PST.  

Eligibility:  

• Business must be physically located in Whatcom County 
• Must have been open starting on or before January 1, 2020  
• Must have been impacted by COVID-19
• Must show a revenue loss or not a significant revenue increase 
• Must be a for-profit business (non-profits not eligible) 
• Must have no more than 25 FTE or equivalent full time employees 
• Must show proof of eligible qualifying expenses not used for previous grants (no double dipping) 

Maximum grant amount: $25,000

Minimum grant amount: $10,000

Before you start:

• You will need to have your Q4 2019, Q4 2020 financials as well as Q1 2021 profit and losses 
• List of previous grants awarded and amounts 
• List of any EIDL or PPP or other loan(s) received

REP has limited funds and this is a highly competitive grant.  

All aspects of applications will be taken into consideration when making the selection process.  

However, when reviewing applications particular consideration will be given to applicants that:

• Did not receive other grant funding (1.0-4.0 and Whatcom ReStart, in particular) or received small grant amounts
• Business located in a geographically challenged area of Whatcom County (rural areas or places heavily impacted by the border closure) 
• Amount of losses due to COVID-19
• Number of employees/jobs the business supports
• Heavily impacted industries/sectors