The Ripple Effects of Federal Grant Freezes:
Small Business Owners Share Their Stories
by Vincent Leggett for Food Tank

Excerpt:

“When I got the email, it was really shocking that this was now going to be affecting me, personally, and my business,” Vieira tells Food Tank. “You put all of these plans in place to grow your business and forecast and think about what the future holds. And then when you’re not able to grow the way you were expecting to, it’s just really disheartening.”

Sara Bornick, CEO of streetpops in Cincinnati, is in a different position: she had already spent most of her US$100,000 grant and is now unsure whether she will be receiving the promised reimbursement.

“We operated in good faith, trusting that the funds promised to us would be available as outlined,” Bornick wrote in a letter to the DBIA. “Now, with US$65,000 already spent out of pocket and no reimbursement, we’re left with outstanding financial obligations and no clarity on when or if the remaining US$35,000 will come through.”

READ THE FULL STORY:
https://foodtank.com/news/2025/03/the-ripple-effects-of-federal-grant-freezes-small-business-owners-share-their-stories/