Safe Start Project for Businesses and Entrepreneurs
The Safe Start plan and related projects recently received a $15 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, one of the largest such grants in the nation
The grant funds will support a number of initiatives ultimately aimed at helping Washington small businesses and strengthening core industry clusters. Some of the projects are new, but several build off existing efforts.
Restart projects include technical assistance for businesses and entrepreneurs in underrepresented and underserved communities as well as a first-of-its-kind COVID-19 modeling project that will help predict and prevent outbreaks so that essential, high-risk businesses such as fisheries, food processors and meat packers can reopen and stay open safely.
“The magnitude of this economic challenge is extraordinary. The only way we can truly help businesses get back on their feet and regain momentum in our economy is by bringing an extraordinary new level of collaboration with our business and philanthropic partners. This is especially true as we try to address the varied and disproportionate impacts of the pandemic, regionally and in underserved communities,” said Commerce Director Lisa Brown. “We have the talent, we have the expertise, we have the funding. These projects are all about connecting those pieces so we can reopen safely today and keep building the equitable, sustainable and innovative economy of the future.
— Lisa Brown, Director, Washington State Department of Commerce
View/Download Safe Start Project Fact Sheet
Source: Washington State Department of Commerce
