Fairfax City’s Economic Development Authority (EDA) today announced that every Fairfax City small business that applied for a ReConnected Grant and met the minimum eligibility requirements will receive one, an extraordinary success for the business community. Fairfax City has a history of being supportive of its small business community and today’s announcement is a significant step in reinforcing that message during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ReConnected Grants, totaling $1,000,000 are being awarded to the over 150 eligible businesses that applied. Additionally, in satisfying the EDA’s goal of promoting equity and inclusivity throughout the City, roughly 70% of the recipient businesses are Minority-Owned, Women-Owned, or Veteran-Owned businesses. Each business will receive a grant of at least
$5,000 to reimburse expenses incurred during the Commonwealth’s shutdown or to adapt procedures and develop new offerings.

Roughly a quarter of these businesses will receive an additional $5,000 — for a total of $10,000 –
– for establishing innovative or creative new best practices and techniques to adapt to mandatory compliance measures. Those grantees will be announced next week.

After entering into a grant agreement, businesses will be eligible to submit reimbursement requests for items and activities such as:

● Creating new/ innovative marketing campaigns
● Purchasing new protective equipment and cleaning supplies
● Hiring specialized sanitization services
● Reconfiguring space to comply with social distancing guidelines
● Supporting a portion of employee salaries
● Reimbursing businesses for eligible expenses occurred during the initial shutdown

“I would like to thank our Mayor and City Council for their leadership in establishing this ReConnected Grant program for our City’s small businesses during this time of uncertainty. The City and the EDA remain committed to supporting as many businesses as possible and this program does just that. I would also like to thank Governor Northam’s office for providing the City with this critical allocation of CARES funding,” said Christopher Bruno, Fairfax City Economic Development Director.

“We are extremely thankful to Fairfax City’s EDA and the ReConnected team. Our business has struggled immensely during COVID-19. The ReConnected grant will help facilitate the process of rebuilding our business so we can effectively operate while doing our part to ensure the safety of our customers and employees. The grant is an incredibly helpful resource that will give us and so many others in Fairfax City a fighting chance, and we are deeply grateful for the program and all who are involved in making sure it was easily accessible to so many of the City’s small businesses.” said Michelle McCrady, BACINI Photography.

Businesses receiving ReConnected grants are:

Fairfax City Economic Development Authority
The Fairfax City Economic Development Authority’s mission is to empower local businesses, create sustainable business growth, promote community involvement through economic development, promote honesty and integrity in the community, and foster close ties between people, business, and government. To receive the latest business and economic development news from the EDA, please subscribe to the Business Bulletin.