Coppell Offers Businesses Assistance Through Grant Programs

Coppell — The city of Coppell established two grant programs, Coppell CARES Restaurant Assistance Grant and Coppell CARES Business Retrofit Grant, to assist local business that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dallas and Denton counties recently approved funding for these business assistance programs as a part of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which aims to provide economic relief for people and businesses impacted by COVID-19. The cty will have approximately $1.6 million available to distribute to local businesses that qualify and apply for the grants.

The Coppell CARES Restaurant Assistance Grant seeks to assist Coppell restaurants that have suffered financial distress due to COVID-19. The purpose of the Coppell CARES Business Retrofit Grant is to help reimburse Coppell businesses for expenses incurred retrofitting their spaces to meet public health and safety needs, such as installing plexiglass barriers and hand sanitizing stations. Both grants have similar requirements for businesses to qualify and will utilize an online application system found at coppelltx.gov/grants. The first application period will open on July 22.

“We will open the application for a period of time each month, and we will continue this each month until either all of the funds have been dispersed or the programs have expired,” said Mindi Hurley, Coppell director of community development. “Our goal is to target the businesses that were required to shut down under the Emergency Orders. Many of these businesses were potentially more negatively impacted than others.”

Restaurant Assistance grants are awarded based on occupancy, and those that apply and qualify will be awarded $55 per allowable occupant. To qualify, a restaurant:

Must be located within the city limits of Coppell

Must not be in any litigation with the city of Coppell or the county in which they are located

Must have a physical store front in the city of Coppell

Must demonstrate that they have endured a 25 percent or greater reduction in sales/business after March 1 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Business Retrofit grants are awarded based on actual dollars spent by the business on qualifying retrofit items. Eligible expenses will be reimbursed after the receipt is submitted. The grant will not exceed the amount spent by the business. The maximum grant amount each month is $5,000. To qualify, the business:

Must be located within the city limits of Coppell

Must not be in any litigation with the city of Coppell or the county in which they are located

Must have a physical store front in the city of Coppell

Must be open to the public to conduct business.

A list of Coppell businesses that provide qualified retrofit items is also available at coppelltx.gov/grants.

“Our desire is for businesses in Coppell to buy available items from other Coppell businesses. We promote and encourage business-to-business transactions in Coppell as much as possible,” Hurley said.

More information, applications, and supporting documents along with monthly submission period dates for the grants can be found at coppelltx.gov/grants.

SOURCE City of Coppell