City-sponsored relief grants, the first of their kind, are to be awarded to over two dozen downtown business that have suffered significant sales loses due to the coronavirus.
In total, 31 businesses in Old Town Chinatown and the Jade District will receive a portion of the almost $200,000, with each receiving at least $5,000.
The Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon, according to its associate director Duncan Hwang, assisted in the creation and funding of the grant program, with Chinese and East Asian-owned businesses being particularly hard hit by the downturn in business. From March 18 to 23, 101 businesses turned in applications for the grants, with a total of $1m sought to replace lost revenues.
Temporary changes to business models have many restaurants across the country contacting Print shops to update their promotional tools to emphasis their takeout capabilities.
The breakdown of selected businesses included 24 grants in the Jade District and seven in Old Town Chinatown. Grant recipients were overwhelmingly in the food and restaurant industry; only seven were not.
Criteria used in the grant selection process included how many years a business had been in operation, number of employees impacted, and how money would be used.
Hwang has explained that these grants were to help business stay afloat until money from other levels of government could be accessed. Other grant and loan options have recently been announced by Portland city officials.
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