LOUISVILLE, Ky. — 824 small businesses in Louisville have received some much-needed economic assistance thanks to the city's Louisville Forward Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program. The grant dollars, totaling $27.1 million, aim to help mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.


What You Need To Know

  • 824 small businesses received grants totaling $27.1 million

  • 1,286 applications were received since July 1

  • 28 percent of the grant dollars went to minority-owned businesses

  • 33.8 percent of the grant dollars went to women-owned businesses

Due to the ongoing pandemic, Louisville small businesses have seen an average decline in revenue of 25.8% according to Harvard University's Opportunity Insights, a non-partisan research institute. Nationally, small business revenue has dropped 23.2%.

“I am proud of the work that our Small Business Team has done to preserve the hundreds of small businesses that make Louisville unique,” said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer (D).

Fischer also stressed the need for Congress to quickly work together to pass additional federal relief measures to aid the nation's struggling small businesses.

"It is clear that more assistance is needed as we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic and weather the resulting economic impacts," Fischer said.

1,286 local small businesses seeking relief grants submitted requests between $845 and $50,000, and the average approved amount was $32,888. Businesses from every council disctrict in Jefferson County received relief funds.

Businesses benefitting from the grants include restaurants, bars, daycares, and retail shops. According to the press release, minority-owned and women-owned businesses received 28% and 33.8% of the grant money respectively.