Queens Chamber grant program will help small businesses with COVID expenses

A restaurant employee sanitizes tables. AP Photo/Mark Lennihan

By David Brand

A new program from the Queens Chamber of Commerce will provide small grants to local businesses enacting COVID-19 safety measures .

 The $400,000 grant program, created in partnership with NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, will give small businesses loans ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 that they can use to purchase personal protective equipment, Plexiglas partitions, sanitizing services, new furniture for outdoor dining and other items to promote social distancing and stop the spread of COVID-19. 

“Queens was the epicenter of the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic and the virus had a devastating impact on our small businesses,” said Queens Chamber President Tom Grech. “In addition to months of lost revenue, business owners now have to take on additional expenses to keep their employees and customers safe.”

New York-Presbyterian Queens stepped up to help fellow Queens businesses operate safely, he said.

 Businesses interested in learning more about the loan program can sign up here.