Pittsfield Offers Restaurant Rapid Response Grant Program

As indoor dining is currently suspended at city restaurants, one of several safety measures put in place in the wake of rising COVID-19 cases in Pittsfield, Mayor Linda Tyer has established the Restaurant Rapid Response Grant Program to assist restaurants and eateries during this period.

“While the decision to suspend indoor dining is essential, I recognize that it will have a tremendous impact on our restaurants and we understand the additional challenges these restrictions will place on city restaurants,” said Mayor Tyer. “This grant program will help to offset some of these challenges. Through this program, funding up to $5,000 will be available per restaurant to help with rent, mortgage, utilities, payroll, as well as supplies and inventory.”

This grant program is in addition to Pittsfield’s COVID-19 Economic Relief and Recovery Small Business Grant program which has already assisted 63 businesses, including 17 Pittsfield restaurants.

There are still funds available for this program and we are accepting applications. A link to the online application is available here

For more information and a list of frequently asked questions, please visit here, additional questions can be sent to pittsfieldsmallbusiness@cityofpittsfield.org.

Last Thursday as the number of new positive COVID-19 cases continuined to rise in Pittsfield, and with growing levels of concern for the potential of further community spread, the city’s COVID-19 Task Force identified several immediate actions to slow the spread of the virus in the city.

At that point, since Oct. 22, there have been 169 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pittsfield. These cases have been directly attributed to large get-togethers in restaurants and large private gatherings held in residences and attended by individuals from multiple households.

“We have reached a point of crisis in our city that impacts our entire community. The number of COVID-19 cases have grown exponentially over a very short period of time,” said Mayor Linda Tyer. “Based on our current case rates and using the state’s new calculations to determine risk, Pittsfield has moved into the red category, making us a high-risk community. We need to take aggressive action now to get us back on the right course and reverse this alarming trend.”