In its July 2020 special session, the Utah Legislature created the COVID-19 Impacted Businesses Grant Program with $25 million in federal CARES Act funds. This initiative provides grants to businesses negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Applications for the grant program opened on July 27, 2020. As of Aug. 4, 2020, the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) published this update regarding the grant program:
The amount of Shop In Utah funds requested now exceeds the amount of federal CARES Act funds currently available for the initiative. However, we encourage interested companies to apply should additional program funding become available. We’ll know more about additional Shop In Utah program funding following the Utah Legislature’s special session later this month. All Shop In Utah applications are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis until funding runs out.
“Shop In Utah is a very popular grant program. We’ve received over 750 applications to-date,” said Val Hale, GOED’s executive director. “We’re working with state and legislative leaders to determine if additional CARES Act funding can be allocated to expand this opportunity for grant funds to more Utah businesses.”
This program continues to be popular among business owners as a means to offer economic relief to suffering businesses. Among the most requested sectors seeking assistance are:
- Food and beverage: 170 applications; $10.8 million requested
- Leisure and hospitality: 169 applications; $8.5 million requested
- Retail: 109 applications; $6.1 million requested
For companies that submitted complete applications, met program requirements, and agreed to the marketing of their offers, GOED will provide a list of Shop In Utah participating companies. The information will include the company’s industry, a description of its offer, and the company’s location.
A listing of available Shop In Utah offers will be published next week on the Shop In Utah program webpage located at utahgoed.info/shop-in-utah. Business owners and consumers can also access the Shop In Utah landing page from the website alert at the top of business.utah.gov and from coronavirus.utah.gov’s ‘Resources for Business’ webpage.
GOED will provide additional updates about the Shop In Utah program following the Legislature’s 2020 sixth special session later this month.
Aug. 7, 2020 Update
As of Friday, August 7, 2020, at 1:30 p.m. (MDT), we are no longer accepting new applications for the Sop In Utah program. In-process applications can still be completed and submitted. The amount of Shop In Utah funds requested now exceeds the amount of federal CARES Act funds currently available for the initiative. All Shop In Utah applications are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis until funding runs out.