Manassas offers downtown shops, restaurants $60,000 for rent relief

From the Manassas City Government:

The City of Manassas will award 24 grants of $2,500 each to qualifying businesses located
in Historic Downtown Manassas on a first come, first served basis. Details on who qualifies and how to apply for the funds can be found at the Manassas Economic Development Department COVID-19 Businesses Resources webpage.

To establish the $60,000 pool of funds, the City applied for and received a $20,000 grant from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Per the City’s proposal, that amount was matched by two local entities – Historic Manassas Inc. (HMI) and the Economic Development Authority (EDA) – with the entire amount to be awarded to Historic Downtown restaurants, retailers, and personal service providers for rent relief.

“The City of Manassas was fortunate to receive these funds from the Commonwealth and to have our affiliated economic development partners agree to match them. The grant was made possible because Manassas is a Virginia Main Street community” said Manassas Economic Development Director Patrick Small. “Main Street businesses are the Historic Heart that drives the City’s Modern Beat and are the lifeblood of communities across America.”

Other initiatives by the City to help small business during the COVID-19 public health crisis have included an ad campaign to rally community support and a website dedicated to providing essential information and resources. City officials endeavor to help all businesses in Manassas in every way possible and will continue to identify resources that can be leveraged during the crisis.