Nevada City, CA – Thanks to an allocation of $250,000 by the Board of Supervisors to promote post-pandemic economic recovery, all the eligible small businesses who applied will receive a micro-grant of up to $5,000 from the Nevada County Relief Fund.

The Nevada County Relief Fund’s fifth round of grantmaking was entirely funded from the County’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allotment. Last month, the Board of Supervisors set aside nearly $6 Million of ARPA funds for the purpose of “Community & Economic Resiliency.”

“It’s gratifying to see this money from Washington go where it’s most needed right now, our small business community,” said Board Chair Dan Miller. “I applaud the resiliency of every small business in Nevada County who weathered the pandemic. It’s great to walk around our business districts and see people smiling again.”

Sierra Business Council (SBC) administered the grant application process with oversight provided by the Relief Fund’s Community Advisory Council. After evaluating each application for eligibility, staff generated a randomly selected list that was reviewed by the Relief Fund’s Small Business Team to ensure geographic and business type diversity. While the applicants certified they were following state and local public health guidelines, County and municipal staff verified they were in good standing and had no records of complaints.

SBC received nearly 87 applications, and recommended funding a mix of “bricks and mortar” retailers, restaurants, arts and entertainment venues, and personal services. More than half are based in Grass Valley with approximately 20% from Nevada City and 20% from Truckee. SBC will reserve the balance of funds for future efforts to support Covid-impacted businesses consistent with ARPA guidelines. SBC will also provide awardees with one-on-one business counseling through its Small Business Development Center. 

“Small businesses are facing a number of challenges recovering from COVID-19 impacts – increased costs for materials, hiring and supply chain challenges to name just a few,” said Kristin York, Vice President of the Sierra Business Council. “These micro-grants can make a real difference for a small retailer looking to rebuild her inventory, for example.”

Notified by staff of their awards, local business owners expressed their appreciation to the County and the Relief Fund team.

“What a blessing! Covid’s been heart wrenching and exhausting. We took on debt and suffered a 58% reduction in business. This grant gives us space to breathe, regroup, and resume placing our 40 local servers, bartenders, baristas and private chefs with clients for in-home entertaining. Small businesses, especially those without brick-and-mortar storefronts, can be invisible. So it feels wonderful to be acknowledged with this grant,” said Holly Verbeck, CEO of HeyChef!, which has operated in Truckee since 1997.

“This is exciting news. We sell jewelry at festivals for a living, and all our festivals after March 2020 were canceled. We increased our online presence, but with this grant, we will be able to update and repair our old and aging equipment and get back to selling at fairs and festivals again,” said Jim Candelaria of Rough and Ready Jewelers. 

About the Nevada County Relief Fund

The Nevada County Relief Fund was established in April 2020 with a $100,000 “challenge grant” from the Nevada County Board of Supervisors to mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. To date, the Relief Fund has raised over $1.3 Million to help dozens of small businesses and nonprofits countywide with nearly half the money raised from individual donations.

The Nevada County Relief Fund is a partnership between the County of Nevada, Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Foundation (fiscal sponsor), Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, the Sierra Business Council, Center for Nonprofit Leadership, and the Economic Resource Council. www.nevcorelief.org

Round Five Small Business Micro-grants:

Andres Amador Arts, Nevada City, $1250
Andrew & Melanie Photography, Penn Valley, $2500
Art Works Gallery, Grass Valley, $5000
Artists’ Studio in the Foothills – ASiF Art Center, Grass Valley, $1250
Bear River Artworks, Grass Valley, $1250
Ben’s Zap Haul, Grass Valley, $2500
Blue Cow Deli, Penn Valley, $5000
Blue Moon Apparel, Grass Valley, $2500
BoHo Lounge, Grass Valley, $1250
Brad Henry Pottery, Truckee, $1250
Broad Street Inn, Nevada City, $1250
Cameron Professional Audio, LLC, Nevada City, $1250
Care Campus Inc., Grass Valley, $5000
Choquiero Chocolate, Nevada City, $5000
ControlOMatic, Inc., Grass Valley, $5000
Copy Center, Truckee, $2500
Corvus Bakery, Grass Valley, $5000
Culture Shock Yogurt, Grass Valley, $2500
Daphne Hougard Photography, Truckee, $1250
Dark Horse Coffee Roasters, Truckee, $5000
Debra Little, Nevada City, $1250
DiPietro & Associates, Inc., Grass Valley, CA 95949, $5000
Earth Central Artisans Hub, Nevada City, $1250
Eileen Mello, Grass Valley, $1250
Fable Coffee, Grass Valley, $5000
Flop House Creations, Grass Valley, $1250
Fowler Center Trend Cuts LLC, grass valley, $5000
Gaia Soap Supply, Nevada City, $2500
Gallery 5830′, Truckee, $2500
Gold River Costumes, Grass Valley, $1250
Grass Valley Printers, Grass Valley, $1250
Hair by Christie, Grass Valley, $1250
Harmony Ridge LLC, Nevada City, $5000
HeyChef! LLC, Truckee, $5000
Holistic Alternatives, Grass Valley, $1250
Independent Events, Truckee, $1250
Jude Bischoff Fine Art, Cedar Ridge, $1250
KC Nails Corp, Grass Valley, $2500
Kim Sayre Photography, Grass Valley, $1250
Kober Consulting, Grass Valley, $1250
La Galleria LLC, Truckee, $5000
Le Nails & Spa, Truckee, $2500
Lola and Jack, Grass Valley, $2500
M3 Mall, Grass Valley, $1250
Madeline’s Nail Care, Grass Valley, $1250
Mail’s Nails, Grass Valley, $2500
Massage Therapy by Michelle Mangini, Grass Valley, $1250
Medicine Theater, Grass Valley, $1250
Mezoarts, Grass Valley, $1250
Mill and Main, Grass Valley, $2500
Off Broadstreet, Nevada City, $1250
Panache, Grass Valley, $1250
Phillips School of Kung Fu San Soo/Phillips Martial Arts and Yoga Center, Grass Valley, $1250
PresenterTek, Inc., Nevada City, $2500
Prosperio Consultants, Inc., Grass Valley, $2500
Radiate Light, Grass Valley, $1250
Renaissance [Design] Consultations, Grass Valley, $1250
Revival Float & Wellness, Grass Valley, $2500
Roam Production LLC, Truckee, $1250
Rose Things and Fairy Wings, Nevada City, $1250
Salon 174, Grass Valley, $1250
Sierra Jewelers, Penn Valley, $1250
Silver Cuts, Grass Valley, $1250
Slam Dunk Amusements, Grass Valley, $2500
Split Pea, Grass Valley, $2500
Stacey Dove, Grass Valley, $1250
Starr Ranch, Penn Valley, $1250
Summit Lotus, Truckee, $1250
The Curious Forge LLC, Nevada City, $1250
The Good Wolf Brewing Company, Truckee, $5000
The Magic Carpet, Nevada City, $1250
Tomahawkers Barber Shop, Grass Valley, $1250 Tourist Club, Truckee, $5000
Truckee Gymnastics, Truckee, $5000
Twelve 28 Kitchen, Penn Valley, $5000
Uph Yoars, Nevada City, $2500
Vaya Clean LLC, Truckee, $5000
Wes the Barber, Grass Valley, $1250
Wild Eye Pub, Grass Valley, $5000