SDRA announces grants

Clarion Top News

Wednesday, 22 April 2020 10:20

The Scottsboro Downtown Redevelopment Authority (SDRA), has approved a grant to help restaurants in the downtown area with utilities or rent payments amid the COVID-19 crisis.
The grant is available to restaurants within the operational area of the SDRA and must meet certain criteria in order to qualify for the grant. If a business meets the qualifications an application form must be completed and submitted by the April 27 deadline.

“The SDRA is committed to the growth and sustainability of local businesses within our service area,” said SDRA Chairman, Bo Butler. “This is another way that we can help those businesses at a time when they mean so much to our community by providing a source for meals.”

To qualify, businesses must be within the downtown area, must have been open for a minimum of four weeks since March 23 and the date of the application, serve breakfast, lunch or dinner and must be at least 80% locally owned with the owner residing within Jackson County.

Applications may be obtained by visiting the SDRA website at www.scottsborodra.com and completing the contact form or by emailing sdra@scottsborodra.com. Completed applications and required attachments must be hand delivered to Scottsboro City Hall by 4:30pm on April 27 or emailed by the same time and date. The SDRA has committed $5,000 toward this grant.
If funds are still available, applications will be accepted through May 31 and approved in June.

The Scottsboro DRA is offering a one-time grant to restaurants within the DRA’s district within down-town Scottsboro in response to the impact of COVID-19. Restaurants must meet the criteria below in order to qualify for the grant. If all criteria are met, the restaurant owner/manager may complete the application and return by the deadline with all required documents. Any applicant that does not meet the criteria or complete the application in its entirety and enclose the required documents will be denied without further con-sideration by the grant committee. This grant is to be applied to utility or mortgage/rent payments. A copy of the full application is available on The Clarion’s website at: www.theclarion.org.
Qualifications
A. Restaurant—The business must be a restaurant that offers one or all of the following: Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner. The business must be properly licensed in Scottsboro to qualify.
B. Open for Business—The restaurant must have been open for at least four (4) consecutive weeks between March 23, 2020 and the date of this application. If the business has limited hour or days of the week, the restaurant may still qualify by completing Section 2 of the application.
C. DRA Downtown District—The restaurant must be within the operational district of the Scottsboro DRA. Any business outside the 1.5-mile radius of the southwest corner of the square is excluded. Businesses must also be located within the downtown area (Square, Willow Street, Broad Street and surrounding streets.)
D. Locally Owned—The restaurant must be at least 80% locally owned if the qualifying owner resides within Jackson County, Alabama. Franchises do apply if ownership requirement is met.
Other Details
Application—Qualified applicants must complete page two and return by the deadline. We would advise not mailing your application due to the quick turnaround of this grant. Place completed application and required documents in a sealed envelope and address to the Scottsboro DRA.

Deadline—The application must be returned to Scottsboro City Hall in a sealed envelope addressed to the Scottsboro DRA no later than 4:30pm Monday, April 27th. Applications and required documentation may also be emailed to sdra@scottsborodra.com. If emailing, please mail page two of this form to the address below.

Amount of Grant—The maximum amount of the grant will be $800. The minimum amount of the grant will be $200. The amount granted is dependent upon several variables within the application.

Frequently Asked Questions
Q. I have a question about the qualifications. Who do I contact?
A. Email sdra@scottsborodra.com for qualification questions such as distance, location, etc.
Q. What if I miss the deadline?
A. The DRA has set aside $5,000 toward this grant. Applications will be considered by the date received. If money is still available after the April 27th deadline the DRA will accept applications through May 31st or until the money is granted.
Q. What determines the amount of grant I receive?
A. There are five variables that will determine the amount received: Distance from downtown, chain/franchise, meals being served, a break in normal hours/days and delivery/pickup options to customers.
Q. How long will it take to receive the grant if I am approved?
A. The committee will meet on Tuesday, April 28th to review all submitted applications and decide the amounts for each of the qual-ified applicants. Checks will be mailed the following day to those receiving grant funds.

The application can be viewed online by clicking here.