young woman working at an assembly production

Grants Available for Ohio Businesses in Distressed Communities or Owned by Underrepresented Populations

JobsOhio, a private nonprofit corporation designed to drive job creation and new capital investment in Ohio, is offering its Inclusion Grant of up to $50,000 to select businesses in distressed Ohio communities owned by underrepresented populations. The grant is intended to help fund eligible projects focused on fixed assets, redevelopment, and training.

  • Distressed communities can be identified on the JobsOhio website by entering an Ohio Zip Code.
  • Underrepresented populations are defined based on race, ethnicity, gender, veteran status and disabled status, and include African American, Hispanic, Alaska native and Pacific Islander company owners, as well as women-owned, veteran-owned and disability-owned businesses that are either certified or can verify that at least 51 percent of their business is owned, managed and controlled by the underrepresented population.

JobsOhio will award grants to small and medium-size companies, and will consider the company's location, ownership, jobs created or retained, and investment in making its grant decisions. Companies must have been in business for at least a year and have at least $100,000 in annual revenue.

To be eligible, companies must be engaged in industries including:

  • Advanced Manufacturing
  • Aerospace and Aviation
  • Automotive
  • Energy and Chemicals
  • Financial Services
  • Healthcare
  • Food and Agribusiness
  • Logistics and Distribution
  • Technology
  • Military and Federal

Ineligible business are those that “include retail or operations that include point-of-final-purchase transactions at a facility open to the public or other population driven businesses that derive most of their sales from in-person delivery of services or products.” Examples of ineligible business include restaurants, retailers, salons, barbershops, doctor or physician offices, retail pharmacies, daycare facilities, drycleaners, gyms and fitness centers.

For more information about the JobsOhio Inclusion Grant, visit https://www.jobsohio.com/inclusion-grant/ or contact your HBK Advisor.

About the Author(s)
Amy Reynallt is a Manager with the HBK Manufacturing Solutions Group in the Youngstown, Ohio office of HBK CPAs & Consultants. She is experienced in navigating the strategic and financial matters associated with manufacturing and works closely with manufacturers to help them plan, execute, and meet their short- and long-term financial goals. Amy can be reached at 330-758-8613 or by email at areynallt@hbkcpa.com.
Hill, Barth & King LLC has prepared this material for informational purposes only. Any tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or under any state or local tax law or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions regarding the matter.

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