Ulster County accepts $300,000 CDBG award to seed entrepreneur employee grants

Ulster County authorized a $300,000 contract with the New York State Housing Trust Fund Corporation to receive CDBG BEST funding intended to support a county Entrepreneur Employee Grant program aimed at small businesses and startups.

County planning staff told the committee the application to the state was successful and that the program will target businesses and startups with a focus on low‑to‑moderate income (LMI) communities and hires. The presentation noted a requirement that applicants complete business training conducted by the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and receive a certificate of completion before grant disbursement.

The nut graf: the grant ties federal CDBG BEST resources to a local entrepreneur grant program that combines training and cash assistance, with 50 percent of the funding targeted to start‑ups and additional preference toward businesses that are LMI or hire LMI individuals.

County staff said the grant will support an entrepreneur grant program designed to help establish or expand small businesses and to fund an “entrepreneur employee” model. Committee members asked procedural and eligibility questions; staff said the SBDC requirement and the LMI targeting are central program elements.

The resolution authorizes the county executive to execute the grant agreement; the committee approved the measure during the meeting. No vote tally was recorded in the transcript beyond unanimous assent from members present.

Ending: the county will finalize program rules, integrate the SBDC training requirement and begin program implementation pending the executed agreement with the state.