Established in 2020 during the pandemic, Barstool Sports launched The Barstool Fund to help small businesses shut down because of COVID-19 that weren’t getting help from the government.
Though Barstool often gets bad publicity due to some of its content and allegations against founder Dave Portnoy, the fund raised over $40 million as of last year. Payments ranging from $5,000 to $60,000 were distributed to nearly 400 businesses throughout the country, helping them to keep employees, make rent payments, and pay for equipment like Plexiglass shields or air filtration systems.
On Monday, Barstool announced that The Barstool Fund is expanding to help businesses owned and operated by current military, veterans, first responders, and National Guard who are having difficulty with expenses, local regulations, and supply chain issues in staying afloat.
According to “Uncle Chaps,” a Barstool blogger and Marine, $3 million dollars has been set aside with an initiative called The Barstool Difference to distribute to those specific businesses in need.
“These will be one-time grants, really investments in your business, that you as the owner will use to help recover from the impact of covid,” he wrote in the announcement.
“Whether you saw your business struggle because you were in the Guard and activated longer than expected or if you were just getting started with your small business and covid threw the world’s largest wrench into your operation or whether you have had a business for a few decades and the country changed so the outlook of your business did as well, we got ya. We want to get this money in your hands so that you can continue doing what you do.”
Business owners interested in apply for the new fund can apply here.
(It should be noted that small businesses that don’t fit the above criteria can still apply for aid from the regular Barstool Fund.)
The fund for military, veterans, first responders, and National Guard is one of four initiatives comprising The Barstool Difference that was announced earlier this month, via Axios. The other three initiatives, to be announced at later dates, will direct aid toward female-run companies, youth service, and sobriety.