ATLANTA — The BeltLine is growing and wants women and minority business owners to grow with it.
The U.S. Department of Commerce is providing $786,104 in American Rescue Plan Funds to the BeltLine Business Solutions Office.
The grant, from the commerce department's Economic Development Administration, will be matched with $196,526 from local funds, according to a federal news release.
BeltLine business leaders will allocate the $982,630 to initiatives that will help local small businesses expand across the 22-mile corridor. Priority will be given to businesses owned by women and minorities, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
“I am proud to have helped pass legislation that continues to invest in our small, minority-owned businesses in Georgia,” Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock said in a news release. “The Atlanta BeltLine is a key economic driver for our state that is creating jobs, connecting communities, and creating green space opportunities. I’m going to keep working to strengthen this resource for all Georgians.”
The near-million dollars is to help locally-driven economic development strategies, according to grant awardees.
After the pandemic, businesses, especially new entrepreneurs and locally-owned mom-and-pop shops, suffered from the uncertainty surrounding the spread of COVID-19. As businesses work to bounce back to previous profit levels, substantial growth has been slowed or stunted, economists say. The grant could help expedite a process that may have been interrupted by pandemic shutdowns or give business owners a helping hand at an opportunity to expand their services or customer base.
“With an emphasis (on) equity, we are proud to support this project to support women- and minority-owned businesses growth in Atlanta," Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo said.
