The Shenandoah Valley Workforce Development Board Receives Virginia Rapid Response Funding

The Shenandoah Valley Workforce Development Board has received Virginia Rapid Response funding to prevent or minimize the duration of unemployment resulting from COVID-19. The board will award 18 grants of up to $5,000 to regional small business employers eligible to remain open during the COVID-19 emergency.

Grants awards are first come, first served, and will be dispersed to selected businesses on a reimbursement basis once documentation to verify expenses has been submitted. Reimbursement process, timeline, and required documentation will be discussed and finalized during the application process. Performance measures including the number of jobs saved, estimated amount of annual wages saved, and project-specific results will also be required as part of the grant award. Priority will be given to regional targeted industry sectors in manufacturing, health care, transportation and logistics, construction, and to businesses that demonstrate the use and leveraging of additional funding resources.

Layoff aversion funds may be used for a variety of projects, including mitigating COVID-19 impacts on workers such as increasing cleaning and sanitization services or purchasing software, supplies, laptops, or smartphones to facilitate remote work. Innovative layoff aversion strategies are encouraged such as the conversion of brewery operations to the production of hand sanitizer. The grant cannot cover wages of employees experiencing work reductions or layoff.

For additional information visit https://vcwvalley.com/virginia-rapid-response-covid-19-business-support-initiative/.