State Rep. Kristian Grant returns $5,000 in COVID funds

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — State Rep. Kristian Grant, D-Grand Rapids, has returned $5,000 after a secondary review conducted by Kent County found more discrepancies in one of her grant applications.

The Detroit News was first to report last month that Grant was allowed to keep $15,000 in COVID-19 small business grants despite errors found in her applications.

On first review, Grant provided conflicting revenues in her 2019 tax filings. In one application, Grant said that her business “Game Plan Lifestyle Planner” had nearly $4,300 in sales. But in an application for a different business, she reported the planner business had just $205 in sales.

Grant told The Detroit News that the error was an accounting mistake and that some products were ordered in 2019 but delivered in 2020, causing the error. County officials said she could keep the grants from the Kent County Small Business Recovery Fund if she submitted an amended tax return.

Report: Rep. allowed to keep grants despite conflicting applications

Wednesday, Kent County Administrator Al Vanderberg said they launched a second review on April 18 after the news story broke “to ensure accountability of the program.” They found that the amended tax return was not filed “despite her assertion of having done so on May 2, 2023.”

“Our external legal counsel contacted Rep. Grant’s legal counsel upon uncovering this issue. After extensive communication between legal counsels, Rep. Grant returned the $5,000 received for the Game Plan grant to Warner Norcross & Judd earlier today,” Vanderberg said in a statement.

Vanderberg says the fund received 5,090 applications and 3,545 local small businesses were awarded money — a denial rate of approximately 30%.

“This underscores the effectiveness of the County’s oversight measures,” Vanderberg explains. “We have received no additional challenges and have no reason to believe there were problems with other applications.”

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He continued: “As stewards of taxpayer dollars, we take our responsibility seriously. We have thoroughly addressed the issues brought to our attention regarding Rep. Grant’s applications and subsequent funding. We remain steadfast in upholding the highest standards of accountability and transparency.”

Grant issued a statement to News 8 Wednesday evening, saying she thought the matter was fully resolved.

“Last month, I was again contacted by Kent County based on repeated inquiries stoked by the same individual who initiated the first review. In a second review of the documentation, I discovered my 2019 amended tax return had not been filed,” Grant said. “I had relied on a trusted professional to assist in amending and filing my return and, unfortunately, that did not happen. Despite no findings of fraud or wrongdoing on my part, I made the decision to voluntarily return the $5,000 grant awarded to Game Plan Lifestyle Planner through the Kent County Small Business Recovery Fund.”

She continued: “While I did rely on a professional to assist in preparing my tax return, I take full responsibility for the oversight and believe returning the funds is the right thing to do. I am happy to have this matter fully resolved.”

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