Asheville warns some storm-damaged businesses may not qualify for grants

A storm-damaged storefront is not enough to win Asheville’s new small-business grants. Owners must also prove their principal location is inside city limits, that they were operating before Sept. 27, 2024, and that Helene losses remain after insurance and other relief funding.

That is the fine print behind Asheville Recovers Together, the city’s $14.6 million grant round for Helene-impacted businesses. The program is part of Asheville’s broader $15.5 million Small Business Support Program and is funded with federal Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery money from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Applications opened June 15 and close July 14 at noon, leaving a narrow window for owners who are still trying to document damage, revenue loss and other losses from the storm. Grant awards will run from $5,000 to $75,000, but the city says decisions will also weigh the extent of physical damage, the amount of revenue lost, how much insurance or other aid a business has already received, and how many jobs it is expected to retain or create.

That structure matters because it can leave out businesses that were clearly hit but do not meet every rule. A shop or restaurant damaged by Helene can still be ineligible if its principal address is outside Asheville city limits, if it opened after Sept. 27, 2024, or if insurance payments and other recovery dollars already cover the loss the owner is trying to claim. In practice, the grant is designed to fill unmet need, not replace every storm-related expense.

The city and its partners have tried to soften that barrier with free technical assistance for applicants preparing materials. Mountain BizWorks, ArtsAVL and Eagle Market Streets Development Corporation are administering the program, and Asheville held a public kickoff event June 11 at the YMI Cultural Center.

The need behind the program remains large. In an earlier post-Helene round, Mountain BizWorks said the Asheville-Buncombe Rebuilding Together Grant Fund supported 390 small businesses with $4,447,395 in funding, while applicants reported $215.6 million in total damages. That left about $211 million in unmet need after the awards. Buncombe County has said a Riverbird Research survey found 76% of businesses reported physical damage from Tropical Storm Helene and 93% reported financial losses, a reminder that the recovery gap is still wider than the available aid.