The funding can be used for rebuilding and repairs, damaged equipment and operating expenses while businesses work to reopen.<\/p>\n
Many were still recovering from last year\u2019s historic floods when rising water swept through the region again this month, dealing another financial blow to communities that depend on locally owned businesses.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur hearts are with the Texas small businesses that are facing yet another tragic disaster,\u201d said Amy Hereford, president and CEO of LiftFund. \u201cWhen disasters strike, they need trusted partners who can respond in a matter of days to sustain the business and its employees. Our team is prepared to help business owners stabilize, recover, and continue serving the communities that depend on them.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/download-1-9.jpeg\")
Flood damage at a Kerrville shopping center, where water reached the parking lot and damaged concrete, flooring and walls. Credit: Courtesy: Devin Karp\/LiftFund<\/p>\n
Eligible applicants must have been operating on or before July 1, 2025, and must demonstrate economic losses caused by the July flooding.<\/p>\n
Adrian Gonzalez, who leads LiftFund\u2019s work in the Kerrville area, said the nonprofit decided to launch another grant program after seeing firsthand how last year\u2019s assistance helped businesses survive.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe determined the need again to open up a grant program, and a lot of businesses saw the benefit to that no-cost money,\u201d Gonzalez said.<\/p>\n
In addition to grants distributed after last year\u2019s floods, LiftFund provided zero-interest, no-closing-cost recovery loans to help businesses whose rebuilding expenses exceeded available grant funding.<\/p>\n
Gonzalez said getting financial assistance into the hands of business owners quickly can mean the difference between reopening and permanently closing.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost small businesses don\u2019t have two weeks\u2019 worth of cash reserves on hand,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, if you don\u2019t get cash in their hands very quickly, there\u2019s a very strong probability that they may not make it through the disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/download-2-7.jpeg\")
Shelving sits outside a flood-damaged small business in Kerrville. Credit: Courtesy: Devin Karp\/LiftFund \/ TPR<\/p>\n
The economic damage extends beyond buildings that flooded, Hereford said. She said communities often experience a sharp decline in consumer spending while residents recover and tourists postpone visits, creating additional challenges for businesses that escaped significant physical damage.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour internal town consumers, their disposable income is likely to be capsized for a moment while they deal with this, and then your external visitors will pause,\u201d Hereford said. \u201cAnd we know this from doing over 50 disasters over 30 years at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n
While surveying damage across the region, Hereford said she saw the widespread effects of the flooding on critical community services.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just came from a nursing home. They are having to evacuate some of their residents,\u201d she said. \u201cSome of their residents have no family members they could go to just yet, and so the nursing home is scrambling to try to find what can they do with them.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/download-3-4.jpeg\")
Flood damage along the roadway and outside a building that houses several small businesses in Kerrville. Credit: Courtesy: Devin Karp\/LiftFund \/ TPR<\/p>\n
She also described damage at an animal shelter in Uvalde.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis animal shelter was already full to capacity because they are dealing with the screwworm problem at the same time in this community, which means their animals were quarantined to have to stay here,\u201d Hereford said. \u201cSo, I understand that their facility was damaged, and so they may need to transport [the animals] to another facility.\u201d<\/p>\n
Several businesses at Kerrville\u2019s Town Creek Village were damaged when floodwaters entered multiple buildings.<\/p>\n
Owner Harold Buell said water reached about a foot deep inside some of the structures.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis has never happened before,\u201d Buell said. \u201cLast Fourth of July we had the highest it\u2019s ever been, but this year it got into the buildings, you know, as much as a foot. Then there\u2019s all the obvious damage.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the hardest-hit tenants was Fitness First Sports, a locally owned sporting goods store operated by Dale and Brooke Guthrie. The business, which is preparing for the busy back-to-school shopping season, sustained significant damage to flooring, walls, sheetrock, air-conditioning systems and merchandise. The shopping center also includes Hill Country Bicycle Works and a coffee kiosk in the parking lot.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe longer we\u2019re shut down, the worse it is,\u201d Buell said. \u201cBecause it\u2019s coming up on back to school, which is our best season of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/download-4-4.jpeg\")
Fitness First Sports in Kerrville has served the Hill Country for more than four decades. New owners Dale and Brooke Guthrie are repairing floors and cracked walls and replacing damaged merchandise. Credit: Courtesy: Devin Karp\/LiftFund \/ TPR<\/p>\n
LiftFund has deployed more than 525 grants and loans totaling more than $17 million to Hill Country businesses during the past year. The nonprofit has spent more than three decades helping entrepreneurs recover from disasters, including hurricanes, wildfires, floods and the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery small business that reopens strengthens its community,\u201d Hereford said. \u201cWhen entrepreneurs can recover, employees return to work, families regain stability, and local economies begin moving forward again.\u201d<\/p>\n