The deadline for small businesses to apply for New York State's Seed funding is approaching. 

The grant program is meant to help small businesses succeed after the challenges of the pandemic. 

Businesses owners have until Sept. 30 to apply. Applications can be found online. 

News 12's Antoinette Biordi spoke with Rich Griffin, the owner of Anchor Coffee in Amityville, about the grant. When he and his partner opened the shop in Oct. 2021, they soon realized how much the pandemic was going to impact business.

“We did not think we could keep the doors open. A couple of our employees got COVID so we were working on a short staff. It was kinda scary,” said Griffin. “We put a lot of money into this business, and we had to put more money into the business just to sustain it.”

The grant program is using $200 million to help small businesses like Anchor Coffee. Individual businesses could receive anywhere from $5,000 to $25,000.

In order to qualify, applicants must fulfill certain requirements. This includes being a small business owner who started in Sept. 2018 with a business that has been operational for at least six months. It is also requires that the business owner’s most recent federal business tax return show between $5,000 and $1 million in gross receipts per year.

The program applies to businesses that did not qualify for the New York State COVID-19 Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program.

“We are going to support all of these business because they are the backbone of the community, and we're looking forward to do more for them,” said state Sen. Kevin Thomas.