Chamber Foundation, LiftFund detail business recovery resources on The Lead Live

Kerrville Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mindy Wendele and LiftFund’s Adrian Gonzalez joined The Lead Live this week to detail the resources available to Kerr County businesses recovering from last week’s flooding.

Chamber Foundation: a concentrated “bullseye” of damage

Wendele said the Chamber Foundation mobilized immediately on Friday, July 17, the day after the flood. She described this year’s damage pattern as distinct from 2025’s: rather than widespread destruction across the county, this storm hit a highly concentrated area — a “bullseye” of devastation.

The foundation reactivated its small business cash relief grant applications online in response. The move represents a pivot for the organization: in recent months, the Chamber had transitioned into helping 2025 flood victims with more indirect needs, such as payroll, operating expenses and inventory support. The suddenness of this new disaster forced a full pivot back to direct damage assistance.

In a significant policy shift, Wendele announced that the foundation’s new governing board decided grants will be available to all local businesses regardless of Chamber membership status.

To find businesses that may not know help is available, Wendele said she met with former Mayor Judy Eychner after church to begin organizing outreach teams to canvass affected areas directly.

Despite the crisis, Wendele shared good news: the Chamber’s annual Business Expo will proceed as scheduled, August 7-8 at the Happy State Bank Expo Center. Last year’s event had to be postponed to November after the venue was pressed into service as the county’s emergency operations center. This year’s Expo is completely sold out, with 100 businesses set to attend.

LiftFund: fighting an economic “second punch”

Gonzalez said the back-to-back disasters are taking a severe economic toll on local business owners, particularly those still recovering from 2025’s flood. He warned that much of the damage isn’t visible from the street — businesses are absorbing catastrophic revenue losses that don’t show up as physical wreckage.

LiftFund’s 2026 Texas Hill Country Flood Relief Program officially launched Monday, July 20 at 9 a.m., offering grants up to $10,000. Applications are available online at liftfund.com.

Gonzalez made two clarifications aimed at business owners who might assume they don’t qualify. First, businesses that received LiftFund grants after the 2025 flood remain fully eligible to apply again. “Even if you got grants from us in the past, you’re eligible again,” Gonzalez said. “The password and login information you used last year, you can use it again.”

Second, and new this year: businesses can now combine a Chamber Foundation grant with a LiftFund grant, something that wasn’t allowed in 2025. “Unlike last year, if you get a grant from the Chamber, you can also get a grant from us at this point,” Gonzalez said. Grant funds can go toward physical repairs, replacing damaged equipment, rebuilding property, or working capital to keep a business running through a revenue slump.

Gonzalez said LiftFund also offers free bookkeeping support and business management counseling to help owners navigate the administrative side of recovery.

For business owners who prefer in-person help over the online application, LiftFund has staff stationed at the Kerr Together Disaster Resource Center, 98 Coronado Dr. N., every Tuesday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Gonzalez said the response was immediate: more than 20 applications were already in process within hours of the portal opening Monday morning.