Round 2: Georgia Coalition of Black Chambers Awarded 2nd Round of Recovery Grants

The River Valley Black Chamber of Commerce has been approved to administer a second round of small-business recovery grants through the Georgia Coalition of Black Chambers, using funds allocated under the State of Georgia’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

The award, administered by the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget, is part of the State Fiscal Recovery Fund (SFRF) and is designed to support economic recovery efforts for small businesses disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the agreement, a total of $2,163,340 has been awarded statewide, with $50,000 allocated to the River Valley Black Chamber of Commerce as Region 8 administrator. The River Valley chamber is headquartered in Columbus and serves 16 counties: Clay, Crisp, Dooly, Harris, Macon, Marion, Muscogee, Quitman, Randolph, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Taylor and Webster.

The funds will be used to create and manage a subaward program providing financial assistance, business resources and capacity-building initiatives for Georgia’s Black-owned and minority-led small businesses. Eligible applicants must be Georgia-based businesses that were in existence in 2019, 2020 or 2021 and are registered with the Georgia Secretary of State.

As a regional administrator, the River Valley Black Chamber is responsible for ensuring transparency and effectiveness in program delivery across its coverage area, including offering education and training opportunities and submitting credible recommendations to the Georgia Coalition of Black Chambers for final approval.

The chamber has already begun hosting informational forums to explain the grant program and assist business owners with application preparation. Application deadlines and links are available on the organization’s website.

A formal awards reception recognizing the grant will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 18, in the Columbus Civic Center Hospitality Suite.

“This grant empowers us to keep pushing forward, creating lasting impact and opening more doors for Black-owned businesses in our region,” said Stephanie Quiñones, president of the River Valley Black Chamber of Commerce.

More information about the River Valley Black Chamber of Commerce, the ARPA grant initiative and upcoming funding opportunities is available at rivervalleybcc.org.