Mercer Island small businesses and nonprofits can now benefit from the city’s COVID-19 relief grant program with funds allocated through the CARES Act.

The city council unanimously voted to establish the program at its Oct. 20 meeting, putting $270,000 on the table for local usage. Businesses and nonprofits can apply for the program at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MIsmallbizgrants. The application period closes at 5 p.m. Oct. 29.

“It’s just another effort. We’re fortunate that we were able to receive another round of CARES funding to be able to offer this,” said Sarah Bluvas, small business liaison as part of the city’s emergency operations center.

Bluvas and the city worked with council members Jake Jacobson and Craig Reynolds along with Merrill Thomas-Schadt, emergency operations center time tracking/grants coordinator, to develop the program.

“This seems like the perfect opportunity to help out Island businesses that are so essential to the culture of what is Mercer Island,” Reynolds said at the meeting.

Bluvas said the grants will be awarded in flat amounts of at least $5,000 each, depending on how many applications they receive, and can be used for eligible COVID-related expenses like plexiglass sneeze guards, personal protective equipment (PPE), sanitation stations, commercial rent relief and more.

The city received $367,000 during the second round of CARES funding, and the remainder will go toward the city’s cost for emergency response during the pandemic and other eligible expenses. The second round of funds need to be expended by the end of 2020.

During the two rounds of CARES funding — the city council approved the first round early on in the pandemic — the city has received a little over $1 million. The city used the initial $700,000 for costs related to its emergency operations center, PPE for the police and fire departments, retrofitting city buildings and more.

In other city business news, Bluvas and her team are launching a marketing campaign on Nov. 1 with funding received through the Port of Seattle and the CARES Act.

The campaign, titled “MInext: Come discover something new,” is being crafted by Island residents and local business owners Laurent Bourscheidt and Suzanne Zahr. The chamber of commerce is on board as well, and the campaign will feature a web site with video content and online events.

“The goal is to reconnect and strengthen connections between local businesses and Mercer Island residents, providing ways for Islanders to get to know the people behind their local businesses,” Bluvas said.

Bluvas said the local business community is staying strong during these tough times.

“I think the business community is hanging in there. I think we’re seeing kind of around the region still just trying to weather the storm and figure out how to get through not only the end of the year, but a possible second wave,” she said. “I think that there’s positivity out there. I think that the city and especially in our partnership with the chamber of commerce and supporting all these businesses, we’re really committed to helping them get through this.”