$1 million grant to be awarded to 100 minority-owned Houston businesses

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston's minority-owned small businesses can begin registering next month for a share of a $1 million grant being awarded by cable provider Comcast.

During an event at Houston City Hall on Tuesday, Mayor Sylvester Turner and various business leaders in the community announced the grant under the Comcast RISE Investment Fund.

WATCH: Mayor Turner announces details of $1 million grant for BIPOC-owned businesses

The pandemic continues to tighten the economy, and over the past year, businesses, especially minority owned, are looking for all the help they can get.

Houston was one of five U.S. cities that received the funding totaling $5 million. Comcast intends to award hundreds of Black, indigenous and people of color-owned small businesses, or BIPOC businesses.

In Houston, 100 small businesses will receive $10,000 each. The application period will run for two weeks beginning on March 1. Grants will be announced at the end of April and awarded in May.

To be eligible, the business must have established operations for three or more years and must have 25 or fewer full- and part-time employees. The areas available for the funding must be in Harris or Fort Bend counties, according to Comcast.

More information on the grants can be found on the Comcast RISE Investment Fund website.

The grant is welcome relief for business owners still navigating through the COVID-19 pandemic. Houston-area businesses have been documented as fighting through leaner times, whether it's adjusting to in-store capacity limits for customers, or the disproportionate cost of staying open.

While unfortunate, many businesses in the city are still running and, at best, thriving through the hardship.

Be Localish has documented the many businesses powering through the difficult times. Be sure to look through the inspiring stories of small business owners who are propping up Houston's economy today.

SEE ALSO: Second round of funding for PPP includes $280 billion, focusing on smaller business

In the video above, you'll hear from business owner Alan Bergeron, who said that without his PPP loan, he likely would not have been able to keep both stores open or keep all of his employees.

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