As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to deal blows to families and business owners, the City of Centennial and Arapahoe County are still providing grants to help residents with bills and keep businesses afloat.

“This second round of business grants is available to more businesses than the initial grant program and allows those that have already received funding to apply again in hopes of providing even more support,” Centennial Mayor Stephanie Piko said in a news release. “Successful local businesses are vital to the health and well-being of our community, and Centennial is hopeful these grants provide some financial support to our business community.”

Here is a look at the grant programs from the city and county.

Personal assistance

The City of Centennial receives annual funding for the federal Community Development Block Grant program through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, administered by Arapahoe County, according to a news release. This year, the city also received funding through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, in response to the pandemic.

The City of Centennial allocated $205,192 help pay for utility, rent and mortgage costs for households with income up to 80% of the area's median income. That's currently about $78,500 per year for a household of four, according to the county.

The city, in partnership with the county, continues to provide the assistance from the initial funding that was approved in June. The assistance does not currently have a deadline, and applications will continue to be accepted until funds are depleted, Allison Wittern, city spokeswoman, said in early October.

To be eligible for this assistance program, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Be a Centennial resident.

• Provide proof of applying for unemployment assistance.

• Provide proof of who lives in your household (the IDs or the lease showing all household members).

• Provide proof of income for everyone in the household for the past month (such as pay stubs, Social Security award letters, proof of child support or proof of other income).

• Provide a current signed lease or mortgage statement.

• Provide a landlord's or a mortgage company's contact information. Either must be willing to provide a W-9 form and accept payment from Arapahoe County.

Visit tinyurl.com/CentennialAssistanceApply to download the application PDF, fill it out and submit it via email to housingassistance@arapahoegov.com and include attachments from the eligibility list above.

Fast Scanner is a free app to use for sending documents.

For assistance or questions, call 303-738-8040 or email housingassistance@arapahoegov.com.

Funds are limited, and applying is not a guarantee of receiving rent assistance.

City business assistance

The city, in partnership with the county, allocated $2 million to provide a second round of Centennial CARES: Small Business Grants, according to a news release. The city began accepting applications Oct. 12 and will continue through Nov. 12, dependent on grant requests. Grants are available to commercial and home-based businesses.

Businesses that previously received Centennial CARES grants may also be eligible to receive funds from this round. And businesses that did not receive a grant before may be eligible in this round because eligibility criteria have changed.

To apply and view specific criteria for eligibility, visit the page on the city's website. Those without immediate computer access can call 303-325-8000. Certain types of businesses are not eligible.

Businesses can receive grants for expenses including but not limited to lease and mortgage, payroll, inventory, and supplies or equipment necessary to operate the business, which can include personal protective equipment, or PPE.

Commercial business can receive $10,000, home-based businesses can receive $2,500, commercial nonprofits $2,500 and home-based nonprofits $1,000.

County business assistance

Arapahoe County announced a second round of its Advance Arapahoe initiative to ease the pandemic's economic burden. The $5 million grant program is targeted to businesses in Arapahoe County that have a gross annual revenue of $1 million dollars or less, according to a news release.

The grant is particularly aimed at businesses in unincorporated Arapahoe County areas — those that are not within the boundaries of a city or town.

The application process opened on Oct. 1 and will remain open until funds are expended.

Businesses can use the funds toward operational needs such as lease or mortgage payments, utility expenses, payroll, supplies and services, and other materials. If the business received other grant funding in the past six months, that amount may be deducted from the award.

Award amounts will be determined by annual gross revenue. Businesses that make less than $500,000 can receive up to $20,000, and those that make between $500,000 and $1 million can receive up to $40,000.

See eligibility and how to apply here.