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Small Business Workforce Development Grants Open through Sept. 10th

Staff Report From Georgia CEO

Tuesday, August 26th, 2025

In accordance with its mission, the Joint Development Authority of the Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County, Georgia and City of Winterville is pleased to invite small, for-profit businesses located in Athens-Clarke County, Georgia and the City of Winterville (within Athens-Clarke County) to apply for the Small Business Workforce Development Grant program. Grant funds must be used to mitigate financial hardship in response to the negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 public health emergency, which officially ended May 11, 2023 in the state of Georgia.

Accordingly, JDA is seeking applications from small, for-profit businesses that:

  • (i) have experienced negative economic impacts due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, 

  • (ii) are able to certify the same, and 

  • (iii) are able to clearly demonstrate and provide evidence of that impact. 

Negative economic impacts may include, but are not limited to, higher costs, higher wages, difficulty hiring, and supply chain disruptions.

Grant funds must be used for capital purchases or facility upgrades, training or software, or inventory purchases, which lead to generating revenue in a sustainable way that will lead to growth for small businesses in Athens-Clarke County or the City of Winterville (within Athens-Clarke County).

Grants will be made in one round, must be for a specific purpose, and will range from $1,000 to $10,000. The application window will be available through Wednesday, September 10, 2025 at https://sites.google.com/view/jda-acc-winterville/home. 

The Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County, Georgia allocated up to $100,000 of its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to the Joint Development Authority of the Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County, Georgia and City of Winterville for the purpose of implementing a grant program for small, for-profit businesses located in Athens-Clarke County, Georgia, that have faced negative economic hardship resulting from the COVID-19 public health emergency.

For more details about the grant program, FAQs, and the online application form, visit https://sites.google.com/view/jda-acc-winterville/home.