The Maestro Entrepreneur Center received a nearly $1 million grant from Bexar County to assist 56 local small businesses impacted by COVID-19.

Recipients of the Building Resilient Small Businesses Grant will receive up to $15,000, with assistance from a business advisor to assess their needs and provide vital resources to reinforce and strengthen their business resilience.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many small businesses were forced to close their doors and this grant is a direct response to the needs of the small business community.

“Especially during this time of COVID, small business really needs our support, and this grant we’re receiving is going to help us do that for so many people,” Willie Ng, Vice President of the Maestro Entrepreneur Center’s board of directors, said at a press conference.

The program received funding from Bexar County and had fiduciary support from Woodforest National Bank.

“Woodforest National Bank is proud to continue to support the spirit of entrepreneurship in San Antonio with our friends at Maestro Entrepreneur Center through this important initiative. Providing additional support to our small business community is critical during these times”, said Doug Schaeffer, Executive Vice President, CRA Executive Director, Woodforest National Bank.

The Maestro Center’s goal is to serve small businesses located in all precincts and to allocate money to those businesses in a manner that is representative of the Bexar County community.

“We know that there are businesses all over Bexar County and San Antonio that are going to need this help and we’re proud to be a partner with Maestro to make this happen,” Commissioner Justin Rodriguez said at a press conference.

Ultimately, this grant will provide financial support for many small businesses throughout Bexar County.

“It’s a dream come true to have these funds available to help us support small businesses,” Mariangela Zavala, Executive Director for the Maestro Entrepreneur, said at a press conference.