For more information:
Contact: John T. Lyburn, Director of Economic Development
410-386-2070

Westminster, MD, Thursday, January 7, 2021 – Today, the Carroll County Board of Commissioners authorized the Department of Economic Development to establish a new restaurant grant, Carroll County Restaurant Relief II, with $720,900 of additional funding received from the state. Eligible restaurants can submit applications online at www.carrollbiz.org beginning Monday, January 11th at 12:00 noon. Carroll County service organizations with commercial kitchens are also eligible to apply for the Restaurant Relief II grant.

Carroll County Restaurant Relief II grant applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis with the application portal open through February 1st at 4:00 PM.  Restaurants must be established in Carroll County as of March 1, 2020, be open and operating in a commercial/industrial zone, and be in good standing as of January 1, 2021, with the State of Maryland and Carroll County. National/regional chains, franchises, and publicly traded companies are not eligible. Breweries, distilleries, food trucks, and wineries are eligible and exempt from the zoning requirement. Establishments that received previous grants are eligible to apply again.

Award amounts will be based on full-time equivalent employment (FTE):

  • Restaurants with nine (9) or fewer FTE* employees - $3,000
  • Restaurants with ten (10) to 50 FTE* employees - $8,000
  • Food trucks (regardless of employees) - $3,000

*FTE employees are counted as working 30+ hours a week

A grant agreement will be executed with the grantee and all grant documents must be kept for a period of five years.

The Carroll County Restaurant Relief II program allows for the following eligible expenses:

  • Working capital expenses of rent/mortgage and utility bills
  • Information technology hardware/software
  • Marketing
  • Employee training
  • Commercial cleaning
  • Professional services
  • Equipment and vehicle business expenses
  • COVID-19 related expenses

Economic Development Director Jack Lyburn shared, “This additional restaurant relief funding comes at a critical time for our local restaurants and we are pleased to be able to provide ongoing financial aid to help sustain them in business.”

If you have questions, please email info@carrollbiz.org.

Interested businesses should sign up for Carroll Connect and Carroll County Economic Development e-news and watch for information via the Department of Economic Development website at https://carrollbiz.org. No-cost business counseling is also available through the Carroll County Small Business Development Center - please visit https://www.marylandsbdc.org/locations/northern-region to connect with a counselor for further business assistance.