Two bills from the Ohio General Assembly include four new grant programs to help small businesses affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Valerie Winterfield of the Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce.

The programs are:

• Food and Beverage Establishment Grant: This program will provide grants of $10,000, $20,000, or $30,000 to restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and other food and drinking businesses. The amount of individual grants to eligible businesses will be determined by the business’ loss of revenue in 2020.
• Entertainment Venues Grant: This program will provide grants of $10,000, $20,000, or $30,000 to theaters, music venues, spectator sports venues, museums, and other entertainment venues. The amount of individual grants to eligible businesses will be determined by the business’ loss of revenue in 2020.
• Lodging Grant: This program will provide grants of $10,000, $20,000, or $30,000 to hotels, motels, and bed and breakfast operations. The amount of individual grants to eligible businesses will be determined by the business’ decline in occupancy rate in 2020.
• New Small Business Grant: This program will provide grants of $10,000 to small businesses that were established after Jan. 1, 2020, through Dec. 31, 2020.

Details about the programs, including when applications will open, will be announced soon. Before the Development Services Agency launches the programs, more details will be posted under Investing in Ohio’s Future at BusinessHelp.Ohio.Gov.

Each program will require applicants to have an OH/ID, and businesses that plan to apply can get an OH/ID now, if they don’t already have one. Register in OH/ID (ohid.ohio.gov) by creating an account with a username and password. Click on Create OH/ID Account to set up an account.

Successful applicants also must register in the Ohio Supplier Portal in order to receive funds. That process can be completed after applicants are informed that their application has been preliminarily approved.