2024 Sanilac County Small Business Grants Awarded!
$27,109 Awarded to Four Sanilac County Small Businesses!
Sanilac County, Michigan – October 17, 2024
The Eastern Michigan Small Business Network (EM-SBN) is pleased to announce it has completed its first round of funding for Region 6 small businesses in Shiawassee, Lapeer, Tuscola, Huron, Sanilac, and St. Clair counties to support their growth and development. Over 500 small businesses applied for 2024 grant funding. A second round of grants will be awarded in 2025.
The following Sanilac County small businesses were awarded the Small Business Grant for 2024:
Elk Street Brewery & Tap Room - $7,192 (Sandusky)
Polly’s Alterations - $6,242 (Lexington)
S.J. Organic Farms - $2,625 (Peck)
Steaks & Cupcakes LLC - $11,050 (Ubly)
We are so proud to partner with the St. Clair EDA to bring this opportunity to our Sanilac County Small Business Community,” said Samantha Schnettler, Executive Director of the Economic Development Corporation serving Sanilac County. “Our office received forty-two applications seeking support and while we couldn’t fund them all, we are hopeful that those companies that were not funded will reapply next year.
The selection committee’s focus for these dollars was to award applicants whose plans demonstrated a strong economic and community impact, clearly identified growth potential, and a proven track record. The anonymous scoring via a weighted rubric identified four clear front runners. We are very excited to award these dollars to businesses that will have an immediate impact on the local economy.”
Schnettler said the scoring committee prioritized fully funding applicants who scored high on the scoring rubric as opposed to partially funding a lot of businesses with smaller award amounts. Due to the grant requirement that businesses must complete the plans in their application even if they aren’t awarded the full amount, a lot of small awards would have meant that the businesses would have to come up with the difference on their own to fund their growth plans detailed in their application. “We did not want to burden our local business community to have to close the gaps on their project funding with partial awards if possible. The average request from our Sanilac County businesses was over $10,000; by focusing on fully funding our top scoring businesses, we were able to guarantee these businesses would be successful in their efforts with these dollars and not burdened with the need to take on debt to execute their growth plans.
We’re excited to see the growth and expansion these small businesses will experience as a result of this funding.
About the Eastern Michigan Small Business Network:
The Eastern Michigan Small Business Network is a partnership of organizations committed to serving the needs of startup and small businesses in Michigan's central eastern region. The primary goal of the Network is to accelerate the entrepreneurial pathway to success. As part of a recent $2.5 million Small Business Support Hubs (SBSH) program grant award from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), the new Small Business Cohort aims to strengthen and improve our region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and help people realize their dream of being self-employed. This project is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number SLFRP0127 awarded to the State of Michigan by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
About EDA of St. Clair County
The Economic Development Alliance (EDA) of St. Clair County is a private non-profit organization that creates economic prosperity by growing companies and cultivating vibrant communities. The EDA is a full-service economic development agency working in the areas of business attraction, retention and expansion, community development, small business development, talent attraction and regional marketing.
About Sanilac County Economic Development
The Economic Development Corporation (EDC) serving Sanilac County is made possible through a partnership between the Huron County Economic Development Corporation and the County of Sanilac. The EDC provides economic development services to the industrial and commercial enterprises and the local units of government within Sanilac County to support their expansion, retention, and attraction activities.
Sanilac County is also part of a regional marketing effort through this partnership. By supporting these businesses and marketing the area, the EDC strives to develop, maintain and enhance the economic base and quality of life in Sanilac County. The EDC also acts as a catalyst for projects needing governmental support at the local, state, and national levels.
This project is being supported, in whole or in part, by Federal Award Number SLFRP0127 awarded to the State of Michigan by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
