The Montgomery County Council on Thursday unanimously authorized $250,000 in additional emergency spending for companies or nonprofit organizations incurring large losses related to transitioning to a work-at-home environment during the coronavirus pandemic.
Companies that qualify for the Maryland county’s Telework Assistant Program can receive up to $2,500 in grant money, with the actual amount varying based on expenditures.
To qualify, businesses and nonprofits must be first-time COVID-19 state or county beneficiaries for telework expenses, and have at least half their workforces or generate half their gross sales within Montgomery County.
They must also employ 100 full-time workers or less, and need to have incurred the telework-related expenses between March and the end of May.
The Montgomery County Economic Development Corp. will be in charge of administering the program.
The council said its new program was conceived of as a way to help Montgomery County businesses impacted by the state’s quarantine and social distancing measures “retain employees and keep the lights on” until the worst is over, a news release said.