Press Release

U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $2.9 Million in CARES Act Funding to Capitalize Revolving Loan Funds to Help Small Businesses Across Utah Respond to Coronavirus

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding $2.9 million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance grants to capitalize and administer Revolving Loan Funds (RLFs) that will provide critical gap financing to small businesses and entrepreneurs across Utah that have been adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

“President Trump is working diligently every day to support our nation’s economy following the impacts of COVID-19 through the CARES Act,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “These investments will provide small businesses across Utah with the necessary capital to rebound from the coronavirus pandemic and, in turn, create a stronger and more resilient state economy for the future.”

“These investments come at a crucial time to help Utah’s and our nation’s economy come roaring back and provide hard-working Americans with new opportunities,” said Dana Gartzke, Performing the Delegated Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “Small businesses are the lifeblood of our communities, and EDA is pleased to invest these CARES Act funds so that Utah businesses have access to capital to respond to and recover from the coronavirus pandemic.”

“We appreciate that these grants will give targeted assistance to communities and sectors of our state’s economy that have been greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Governor Gary Herbert. “This type of support, combined with Utahns’ characteristic resilience, is crucial to our state’s economic recovery.”

“These investments will be crucial to Utah’s small businesses who have been working hard to make ends meet and keep their doors open during the last several months,” said Senator Mitt Romney. “I appreciate the work of Secretary Ross in administering this funding throughout our state, which we authorized as a part of the CARES Act in order to help communities recover from the impacts of this pandemic.”

The EDA investments announced today are:

• Uintah Basin Economic Development District, Roosevelt, Utah, will receive a $1.122 million EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to capitalize and administer an RLF to provide grants to coronavirus impacted businesses in Daggett, Duchesne, and Uintah counties.
• Southeastern Utah Economic Development District, Price, Utah, will receive a $660,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to boost the region’s critical tourism sector and the support local businesses by capitalizing and administering an RLF to provide grants to coronavirus impacted businesses in Carbon, Emery, Grand, and San Juan counties.
• The city of Orem will receive a $550,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to capitalize and administer an RLF to assist qualified, coronavirus impacted Orem businesses with their capital needs.
• Six County Economic Development District, Richfield, Utah, will receive a $550,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to increase regional economic stability by capitalizing and administering an RLF that will provide low interest loans to businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic in Juab, Millard, Piute, Sanpete, Sevier, and Wayne counties.

These current EDA RLF grantees are some of the more than 850 existing, high-performing EDA RLF, Economic Development District, University Center, and Tribal grant recipients invited to apply for supplemental funding under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

The CARES Act, signed into law by President Donald J. Trump, provides EDA with $1.5 billion for economic development assistance programs to help communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

On May 7, Secretary Ross announced that EDA is accepting applications for CARES Act Recovery Assistance funding opportunities.

EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance, which is being administered under the authority of the bureau’s flexible Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) (PDF) program, provides a wide-range of financial assistance to eligible communities and regions as they respond to and recover from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. For complete information, please visit our recently updated EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance page.

About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation's regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA makes investments in economically distressed communities in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.