A grant program of American Express and Main Street America

On June 25, The Dough Hook Meat Market, 117 N. Main, Bluffton, was among grant recipients announced by American Express and Main Street America in the Backing Small Businesses Grant Program.

“We are blessed and excited that The Dough Hook is a recipient of these funds. We plan to use the grant to purchase a new, larger meat case. This will allow us to display even more of our Certified Hereford Beef®, locally sourced pork and chicken. We plan to offer more fresh, never frozen meat and are super excited to do so!” said Marlena Ballinger, owner.

American Express and Main Street America announced the 500 small business owners who were awarded $10,000. They represent U.S. small businesses across all 50 states, plus D.C. and Puerto Rico. Later this year, grantees will have the opportunity to apply for an additional $30,000 enhancement grant that will be awarded to 25 small businesses.

Since launching in 2021, Backing Small Businesses has provided over $9 million in grants to 1,180 small business owners nationwide. American Express and Main Street America initially created the grant program to help economically vulnerable small business owners recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and grow their businesses.

This program is part of American Express’ “Backing Small” initiative to provide financial support and resources to small business owners experiencing economic hardships. Other Backing Small grant programs include Backing Historic Small Restaurants and Backing International Small Restaurants.

Backing Small is an extension of American Express’ longstanding commitment to support small independent businesses globally, including through its Shop Small movement and Small Business Saturday campaign.

Meet recent Backing Small Businesses Enhancement Grant Recipients at https://mainstreet.org/the-latest/news/500-small-business-owners-receive...

To learn more about the Backing Small Businesses grant program and learn about the grantees, click here.