Alexandria business owners that identify as Black, indigenous or a person of color could get $1,000-$7,000 in grant funding from the city.
The city announced in a release that applications are set to launch on Thursday, Jan. 26, and will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
The grant funding was approved by the City Council back in October, along with funding aimed at boosting the voices of minority business owners in discussions of city policy.
Black-owned businesses were disproportionately hit by the pandemic, showing a 28% earnings decrease in 2020 compared to a 15% drop for White-owned businesses and a 17% overall decline, Bloomberg reported.
“While many businesses have struggled and are still recovering in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, these hardships are particularly felt by Black, Indigenous and people of color (“BIPOC”) owned businesses due to structural barriers and discriminatory financial lending practices,” the city said in a release.
