January 27, 2026, the Asheville City Council approved the Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Small Business Support Program subrecipients, including Mountain BizWorks. This means $15.5 million in direct grant funding is on the way for Asheville small businesses impacted by Hurricane Helene.
Mountain BizWorks will partner with ArtsAVL and Eagle Market Streets Development Corporation to administer allocated funds through a new grant program coming this spring. This program will provide direct grants and technical assistance to help small businesses stabilize operations, replace equipment or inventory, cover temporary lease costs, and retain or create jobs.
What’s next? The City of Asheville will work with partners to complete compliance requirements, finalize funding agreements, and confirm program design before final approval is possible. Again, we anticipate that the grant program will launch in spring 2026; more details to come.
Want to stay connected? Read the City’s full press release and sign up for their updates to know when applications will launch. We’ll also share in our monthly BIzNews newsletter as the process unfolds.
Small business recovery needs have far outweighed available funding, and Mountain BizWorks is proud to be part of this exciting next step in helping Asheville businesses recover stronger.
