OHIO, USA — Sunday is the last day for Ohio’s on-premise liquor permit holders to apply for the Bar and Restaurant Assistance Fund.
The fund is aimed at helping business owners who are experiencing financial difficulties related to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Ohio Development Services Agency website.
On-premise liquor permit holders may be eligible for a $2500 grant as part of the program which will not need to be repaid.
There are restrictions on how the grant money can be spent however.
The $38.7 million in the fund comes from money set aside by the CARES Act, which was signed by President Donald Trump in March of 2020, near the beginning of the pandemic.
On November 19, 2020, facing a surge of COVID-19 cases heading into the holidays, Governor DeWine announced a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew for Ohioans. The curfew required that “non-essential” businesses, including bars and restaurants, close their doors between those hours.
The governor began relaxing those restrictions in late January 2021 as COVID-19 cases began to go down.
Earlier in the year, a stay-at-home order issued by then-Ohio Department of Health director forced the temporary closure of bars and restaurants.
The Bar and Restaurant Assistance Fund program started accepting applications on November 2.
Eligible businesses can apply for the grant here.
