Additional resources to help small businesses in Northwest Indiana recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic are now available through the Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission.
NIRPC was awarded nearly $1 million in grants from the Economic Development Administration.
“No one could have predicted the pandemic, but NIRPC’s designation as an economic development district came just in time,” said Ty Warner, NIRPC’s executive director. “As small businesses and the regional economy in general have taken a hit from the (pandemic), these resources will aid in our regional recovery.”
NIRPC received funds from the EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance Grant program totaling $583,000 to capitalize and administer a revolving loan fund to provide loans to small businesses in Lake, Porter, and LaPorte counties that have been impacted by the pandemic. The dollars can be used to hire staff to provide capacity-building and technical assistance.
An additional $400,000 was issued through the CARES Act Recovery Assistance Grant program to address short and long-term economic development impacts through the development of an economic resiliency plan and aid in the economic recovery for future pandemics and disasters. These funds can be used to hire staff to provide capacity-building and technical assistance.
