Over $5 Million Invested in Brownsville Community for COVID-19 Relief

The Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation (BCIC), the Type B Economic Development Organization for the City, has assisted in bringing $5,149,900 into the community from the organization’s StartUp Texas COVID-19 Business Assistance Grant Fund and through federal grants administered by the Small Business Association. 

Last Thursday, the BCIC Board of Directors voted to approve a second round of relief grant funding, an additional $163,450 from the fund, bringing the total community investment for the StartUp Texas COVID-19 Relief Grant Fund to $300,425. The latest allocation will fund 20 organizations focused on providing services and critical needs to Brownsville residents and help retain a total of 742 employees thus far. 

“Our small businesses are the foundation to our local economy, and we are deploying every resource possible to support their recovery efforts while also providing tools and resources to help them remain innovative as we move into a new business landscape,” says Nathan Burkhart, BCIC Director of Marketing & Small Business Development. “These programs will help our retail, food, manufacturing and hospitality industry in Brownsville, Texas, as they look forward to providing new ways to service our markets.” 

Businesses in Brownsville can benefit from the “Get Digital” workshop, certified seminars that will help local businesses grow their businesses through online platforms, maintain profit margins intact, keep a positive cash flow and minimize sales and service disruptions in a volatile market. The free program is administered by the UTRGV Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Center and sponsored by the BCIC and the City of Brownsville’s Retail and Redevelopment Division.

In addition to providing COVID-19 Relief Grants and digital workshops, the BCIC Board of Directors also approved a reallocation of funding to supplement the Brownsville COVID-19 Economic Response Team, the ensemble of organizations responsible for assisting the BCIC with their relief grant efforts.   

“We could not have assisted as many small businesses as we have today without the help of our amazing partners at the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce and the UTRGV Entrepreneurship & Commercialization Center” says Burkhart. “This is the eBridge Center network at work, these partnerships will not only assist in addressing the pandemic we’re in now, but towards future programing that will help Brownsville businesses accelerate, innovate, and grow sustainably.”  

The application for COVID-19 assistance is available at BrownsvilleEDC.org/COVID19. For businesses looking for more information on how to apply for an SBA EIDL loan or whether it is something they should consider, visit Assist.BrownsvilleEDC.org or contact the COVID-19 Small Business Response Team at 888-816-8043.