Attention SBC Mountain Businesses: Does your business qualify for the $3000 or $15,000 grant?

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a program Tuesday to help mountain businesses impacted by this season’s crippling snowstorms get back on their feet.

Under the Mountain Small Business Grants Snow Response Program, mountain businesses and nonprofits with 50 or fewer employees are eligible for a one-time $3,000 grant, and businesses with more than 50 but fewer than 500 employees can receive $15,000 to assist with recovery from the recent snowstorms.

To qualify, businesses must have been in operation prior to Feb. 27 and have a brick-and-mortar location in the affected San Bernardino Mountains that is used by employees and customers. Funds are intended to help businesses defray overhead costs such as rent and utilities.

“The recent snowstorm had devastating impacts for many businesses in the mountains,” said Board of Supervisors Chair Dawn Rowe, whose Third District includes all of the snow-impacted communities in the San Bernardino Mountains. “These grants will help them to recover financially as they work to reopen to serve the community. I will continue working hard to obtain additional resources for our mountain businesses and residents.”

Many mountain businesses, like Steven Ayala, owner and coach at Apex Boxing and Fitness in Twin Peaks, were cut off from their customers or unable to work in their stores, shops and offices for weeks because they were blocked by snow or isolated by unsafe roads. The grants approved by the Board today will help many of those businesses stay in business, keep mountain residents employed and contribute to the area’s economic recovery.

The application process is expected to be available in the next couple of weeks. In order to stay updated, residents are encouraged to sign up for Supervisor Rowe’s official newsletter at bosd3.sbcounty.gov and follow her and the County's social media channels.