Small-business grant application goes live; pre-applications due June 1 and to be reviewed June 2

The chair announced that the county's small-business grant application is live on the King County website and that publicity (a newspaper item, chamber emails, and county notices) has begun. "The deadline is on June 1," the chair said, and members agreed to meet June 2 to review pre-applications.

Board members said outreach has started but that, as of last Friday, no official applications had been submitted. The chamber will continue to promote the opportunity; the chair and other members emphasized casting a broad net to attract applicants from the business community.

Members reviewed how the scoring rubric will be used: the rubric (adapted from Iron County) will guide pre-application review on June 2 but full scoring is more appropriate for completed applications and final pitches. The chair noted the grant is intended to support business expansions that create jobs and described program features discussed in the meeting: a 1-to-1 match and a per-project cap that board members discussed as approximately $20,000. "That's exactly what it's designed for," the chair said about supporting businesses that add employees.

Board members clarified eligibility in discussion: the chair stated the program is aimed at existing businesses rather than startups. The group agreed to use the rubric to screen pre-applications with an eye to inviting a subset to submit full applications.

Next steps: Pre-applications are due June 1. The board will meet June 2 at 3:00 p.m. to begin reviewing pre-applications and to use the rubric to shortlist candidates for full applications and possible funding.