ATLANTA — When businesses in Atlanta had to close for days due to a water crisis that wreaked havoc across the city, a grant was created for small businesses that needed help following the issues back in May.
Invest Atlanta updated the City on Tuesday following the end of the grant application process for small businesses impacted by the Atlanta water main breaks. The application for small businesses to apply for funds was on Monday.
The City of Atlanta previously reported the outage impacted 6,900 small businesses.
On Tuesday, Invest Atlanta reported it received 894 applications, with 535 people completing the City of Atlanta Recovery Fund application.
Dr. Eloisa Klementich, the President and CEO of Invest Atlanta, did not say which businesses applied, but Invest Atlanta reported it would prioritize businesses most directly impacted, such as daycares, restaurants, salons and spas.
“We were happy to see the response rate,” Klementich said. “Those who started and then finished was 67%, which is the highest we’ve ever seen.”
Klementich said Invest Atlanta is now working on evaluating information and getting the funds out as quickly as possible.
According to its website, Invest Atlanta is expected to notify awardees the week of July 29.
It said funds should be dispersed before the end of August.