Curry ready to distribute grant money

CLOVIS — Curry County on Monday became the first local entity out of the gate with small business grants from its pool of $150 million in statewide assistance made available through the federal CARES Act.

Curry County received $322,163 in small business grants, which it plans to distribute through the Curry County CARES Continuity Grant. The grants will be capped at $10,000 for small businesses and non-profits within Curry County, and will cover:

• Rent or scheduled mortgage payments

• Insurance

• Utilities

• Marketing

• Business redesigns, including reconfiguring physical spaces, installation of plexiglass barriers, software purchases to facilitate remote work, employee personal protective equipment and temporary structures to mitigate COVID-19 spread.

Applicants must be located in Curry County with 50 or fewer full-time employees and receive no more than $2 million in annual taxable receipts. Additional eligibility criteria is included on the application.

The county anticipates distributing the first round of awards Oct. 6, and will keep the application process open until funds are exhausted.

Roosevelt County Manager Amber Hamilton said county staff was still working on its application process, and anticipated the county would make a similar announcement later this week. Roosevelt County received $239,625 in small business grants.

Clovis City Manager Justin Howalt did not respond to an inquiry on the city’s progress. But during the Sept. 17 Clovis city commission meeting, he said the city will work with the Clovis/Curry County Chamber of Commerce on the application process for businesses, and hopes to begin accepting applications in early October. The city has $4.26 million in CARES Act small business grants, and both the city and county have said they’ll stay in contact with each other to ensure there is no “double dipping” into city and county grants.