The Wyoming Business Council is now receiving applications for the Wyoming Business Interruption Stipend at wyobizrelief.org.

Initial reports state that there have been 772 successful grant recipients for a total of $23.8 Million in just the first hour of WBC stipend program rollout.

The program is funded by federal CARES Act money and offers grants of up to $50,000 to independent Wyoming businesses who employ 50 or fewer full-time employees and experienced financial loss due to public-health orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Business Council has prepared a simple, secure process to distribute grant funds as quickly as possible to Wyoming business owners.

Applicants that did not receive federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding and were required to close because of state health orders will be processed first. Qualified applications will be processed in about 21 days.

The web page also includes details on eligibility requirements, an FAQ list, a grant calculator worksheet and a link to register to receive Business Council media releases to keep up on the latest information about this and two future grant programs. Business owners are also encouraged to follow the Business Council on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Two other grant programs — one for businesses with up to 100 employees and another to reimburse for health and safety expenses incurred by businesses of all sizes — are expected to launch in early July. Eligible businesses will be allowed to apply for more than one grant program.  

For questions and support in the application process, business owners can reach out to their local chambers of commerce, economic developers, Main Street program managers and SBDC regionals, who are trained and ready to help.