For Immediate Release: Friday, May 15, 2020
ROCKVILLE, Md., May 14, 2020—At today’s Council meeting the Council unanimously approved a special appropriation of $1,250,000 to the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation’s (MCEDC) Non-Departmental Account (NDA), to be used for the Telework Assistance Program. This special appropriation was spearheaded by Councilmember Andrew Friedson. The Telework Assistance Program provides grants to businesses and non-profit organizations that implemented a teleworking program and purchased teleworking equipment and software since the beginning of the health crisis in March.
The Council recently approved a special appropriation of $250,000, also initiated by Councilmember Andrew Friedson, to begin providing emergency funds for telework assistance. MCEDC is administering and awarding grants of up to $2,500 to eligible County businesses and non-profits for verified teleworking equipment and software purchased in response to the pandemic.
The Montgomery County Telework Assistance Program is currently open to applicants. Grants are being awarded using a lottery system so as not to disadvantage applicants who smay need time to locate receipts, pull their materials together and submit an application.
A business or non-profit organization is eligible to receive assistance from the Telework Assistance Program if it has its physical location(s) only in the County; or its County-based locations account for more than 50 percent of the business’s total number of employees or 50 percent of the business’s gross sales; employs 100 or less full-time-equivalent employees; has not received financial assistance from the state or County for teleworking expenses related to the Covid-19 health crisis; and has incurred expenditures between March 1, 2020 to June 1, 2020, specifically to implement a teleworking policy (e.g., computers, cameras, software, etc.).
The Telework Assistance Program grant application and useful information, including FAQs in English and Spanish, can be found at MCEDC’s website. Residents with inquiries can email teleworkgrant@thinkmoco.com.
The Council staff report for this special appropriation can be viewed here.
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Release ID: 20-217