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Ivy Can Do outlines $300,000 grant window and $50,000 loan program to aid fire‑affected small businesses
Summary
Malcolm Voyager of Ivy Can Do told Talent council the PEER program will offer microenterprise grants (up to $15,000) and a revolving loan fund (loans up to $50,000 at 5% interest). Grants will be front‑loaded (~$300,000) in the first application window; OHCS must approve application materials.
Malcolm Voyager, the business‑and‑economic‑development lead at Illinois Valley Community Development Organization (Ivy Can Do), told the Talent City Council on Dec. 18 that a PEER grant program will offer both grants and low‑interest loans to support small businesses impacted by past fires.
Voyager said Jackson County’s allocation from a statewide PEER pool was about $13.6 million and that Ivy Can Do’s portion will fund two programs: a microenterprise grant program with awards up to $15,000 and a revolving loan fund offering loans up to $50,000 at 5% interest. "The grants will be microenterprise grants up to $15,000 that will be dispersed across two different windows," Voyager said, adding the first window will be front‑loaded with about $300,000 in grant funds.
Voyager explained eligibility will follow HUD’s national‑objective LMI (low‑to‑moderate income) screening. He said applicants will need to submit the business owner’s tax return information for LMI determination and that businesses may qualify through LMI service‑area criteria or by demonstrating urgent fire‑related need if they don’t meet LMI thresholds. "HUD wants to exhaust all of the LMI qualifications first, and if then you don't qualify, then you would get it through urgent need," he said.
Voyager noted the loan program is planned for later rollout and that Ivy Can Do expects to open grant applications in early spring once outreach and application materials are approved by the Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS). He also said the organization contracted Ruthie Painter to provide 20 hours per week of technical assistance to prospective applicants.
Council members asked about timeline, documentation requirements and whether the loans and grants were tied to other funding. Voyager said outreach materials and the application form remain under OHCS review and said the loan program will be delayed until June while he is on parental leave. "We're going to launch the grant program before the loan program," he said.
Next steps: Ivy Can Do will finalize OHCS‑approved outreach and application materials and announce the first grant window in early spring; the city and local business support partners will share the outreach information when available.
