Press Release

U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $13.9 Million in CARES Act Funding to Capitalize Revolving Loan Funds to Help Small Businesses Across Virginia Respond to Coronavirus

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding $13.9 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 that have been adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic across Virginia.

“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 Virginia 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 Virginia’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 Virginia businesses have access to capital to respond to and recover from the coronavirus pandemic.”

“Federal support is critical as America’s small businesses navigate this health crisis,” said Governor Ralph Northam. “We appreciate these grants from the U.S. Department of Commerce, which will complement Virginia's own $70 million small business relief program. Support for these businesses is essential to a strong and robust economic recovery.”

“Small businesses have suffered heavily due to COVID-19,” said Congressman H. Morgan Griffith (VA-09). “EDA’s $770,000 grant to the Cumberland Plateau Planning District Commission directs CARES Act funding to some of these businesses in the district, helping them stay afloat and keep employees on the payroll. I appreciate this investment in our communities.”

The EDA investments announced today are:

• Virginia Small Business Financing Authority, Richmond, Virginia will receive a $10.2 million EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to capitalize and administer an RLF that will provide loans to coronavirus-impacted businesses in the Commonwealth of Virginia to help them respond to and recover from the pandemic.
• Cumberland Plateau Planning District Commission, Lebanon, Virginia will receive a $770,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to capitalize and administer an RLF to provide loan interest loans to coronavirus-impacted small businesses in the city of Norton, and Buchanan, Dickenson, Tazewell, Russell, Wise, Scott and Lee counties.
• The city of Lynchburg, Virginia, will receive a $726,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to capitalize and administer an RLF that will provide gap financing and loans to coronavirus-impacted businesses in the city of Lynchburg, and Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, Campbell counties to help them respond to and recover from the pandemic.
• The city of Norfolk, Virginia, will receive a $549,900 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to capitalize and administer an RLF to provide loans to coronavirus-impacted small businesses in the city of Norfolk.
• The city of Newport News-Department of Development, Newport News, Virginia, will receive a $1.5 million EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to capitalize and administer an RLF to provide loans to coronavirus-impacted small businesses in the cities of Newport News and Hampton.

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.