COVID-19 Relief Grants and Loans

Saving Jobs  •  Providing Relief  •  Restoring Businesses

Thank you for your interest in the Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant and Small Business COVID-19 Relief Loan programs. Funds for the grant program have all been allocated to small businesses, and due to the overwhelming response in applications for the loan program, we are no longer accepting applications.

Purpose of the Programs

Both the Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant program and the Small Business COVID-19 Relief Loan program were designed to help prevent business closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and to preserve the hundreds of fun and funky businesses that make Louisville unique.

Businesses who received grants

Through Louisville Forward’s Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program, 824 small businesses have received grant dollars, totaling $27.1 million to help mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Businesses seeking relief grants requested between $845 and $50,000; the average approved grant amount was $32,888. Businesses receiving the relief grant are located in every council district in Jefferson County. Of the grant dollars awarded, 28 percent went to minority-owned businesses, and 33.8 percent went to women-owned businesses.

Infographic breakdown of grant approvals

For a list of approved grants, click here or view the map below.

Businesses who received loans

As of February 18, 2021, the Small Business COVID-19 Relief Loan program has been exhausted. 70 businesses received loans, totaling $2.9 million. Created in September with $2.9 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration, the program provides small businesses negatively impacted by COVID with low-interest loans of up to $50,000 to pay for expenses that will sustain the business.