Katy Times launches matching funds grant for local advertisers

By Katy Times Staff
Posted 5/11/20

As businesses begin to open, advertisers have told Katy Times staff they are uncertain how they can afford advertising after being forced to close for several weeks. In response, Katy Times has set …

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Katy Times launches matching funds grant for local advertisers

Posted

As businesses begin to open, advertisers have told Katy Times staff they are uncertain how they can afford advertising after being forced to close for several weeks. In response, Katy Times has set up a $100,000 grant program to allow businesses to get the word out about their reopenings and special services they may offer as the Katy area’s economy recovers from COVID-19.

“The Katy Times has been able to establish a fund to help local businesses get back to full strength,” Katy Times Publisher Erica Baskin said. “This is being done by subsidizing their marketing through matching grants.”

The program allows locally-owned and operated businesses to apply for grants from $250-$7,500 in funding for advertising. Once reviewed and approved, the amount of the grant is then matched by the business over a three-month period which ends in July, Baskin said. Locally-owned franchises are also eligible, she said. Businesses interested in applying for the grant must complete the eight-question application form on the newspaper’s website, Baskin said.

Under the program, all ad campaigns will include advertising in the newspaper and on the Katy Times website, Baskin said. The idea is to reach as many potential customers for each business as possible and help make sure residents are informed about their favorite stores and restaurants opening back up – including what those businesses are doing to ensure client safety, she said.

The Katy Times understands the impact the new coronavirus pandemic has had locally, Baskin said. As staff have reported on the impacts the virus has had at the local level, they’ve seen small businesses struggling and trying to balance public safety with the need to keep their businesses going. That’s why the grants program was set up – to support local companies that are the heart of the local economy, she said.

“A community newspaper is only ever as strong as the community it serves,” Baskin said. “We are stronger together –  and as a community, we will get through this together.”

Katy Times, Erica Baskin, COVID-19, New Coronavirus