Program Summary
- Initial program in response to Covid-19
- Summer 2020 – Fall 2020
- $5000 grants to eligible businesses and nonprofits
- Late April – Summer 2021
- Expanded to eligible businesses that did not receive a grant in Program I
- Included faith-based and veteran nonprofit organizations
- Deadline to APPLY is September 12 for past recipients of Program I.
- Additional $5,000 grants to businesses and nonprofits from Programs I and II
- Eligibility: Previous recipients from Programs I and II that are still open and operating, have a history of compliance with Covid-19 safety protocols, and have additional eligible expenses are eligible.
- All grantees from Program I should have received an email with an invitation link to register for an account online. If you are eligible and have not received an email with a link to register, please visit our HELP page.
- Program 4 was a grant to allow businesses and nonprofits, that were NOT awarded a grant in the previous programs, to apply for a $10,000 grant.
- Eligibility was similar to Program II
- Application Dates: August 19 at 8:00 am to September 2 at 6 pm.
Eligible Uses of Funds
Grant funds may be used only for those costs incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the health and safety restrictions, such as business interruptions or closures required by state or local health orders.
The following are the eligible uses of grant funds:
- All employee expenses including payroll costs, health care benefits, paid sick, medical, or family leave, and insurance premiums.
- Working capital, overhead (including rent, utilities, mortgage principal and interest payments [excluding mortgage prepayments]), and debt payments (principal and interest) incurred before 2021.
- Costs associated with re-opening operations after being fully or partially closed due to state or local COVID-19 health and safety orders or restrictions and closures.
- Costs associated with complying with COVID-19 federal, state or local guidelines for reopening with required safety protocols, including but not limited to equipment, plexiglass barriers, outdoor dining, PPE supplies, testing, and employee training expenses.
- Any other COVID-19-related expenses not already covered (for the same period) through grants, forgivable loans or other relief through federal, state, county or city programs.
Ineligible Uses of Funds
- Human resource expenses for the state share of Medicaid
- Employee bonuses or severance pay
- Taxes
- Legal settlements
- Personal expenses or other expenses unrelated to COVID-19 impacts
- Expenses for repairs from damages already covered by insurance
- Reimbursement to donors for donated items or services
Ineligible Organizations
Types of organizations not eligible include:
- Organizations primarily engaged in political or lobbying activities (50% or more of operations)
- Businesses that engage in gambling activities, including any business whose principal activity is gambling. (Businesses that obtain less than one-third of their annual gross income from either the sale of official state lottery tickets under a state license or legal gambling activities licensed and supervised by a state authority, but otherwise do not engage in gambling activities, are not ineligible.)
- Government entities or elected official offices
- Passive businesses, investment companies and investors who file a Schedule E on their personal tax returns
- Businesses involved in speculative activities that develop profits from fluctuations in price rather than through the normal course of trade
- Real estate investment firms, when the real property will be held for investment purposes.
- Dealers of rare coins and stamps
- Pyramid sales plans, also known as multi-level marketing, where a participant’s primary incentive is based on the sales made by an ever-increasing number of participants
- Organizations involved in activities that are against the law in the jurisdiction where the organization is located
- Organizations where a principal is currently incarcerated, on parole, or on probation; or is a defendant in a criminal proceeding
- Financial businesses primarily engaged in the business of lending, such as banks, finance companies, factoring companies, loan packaging, leasing companies, insurance companies (not agents), and any other firm whose stock in trade is money
- Cannabis-related businesses; liquor stores; and strip clubs
- “Affiliates” of businesses as defined in 13 C.F.R. § 121.103.
- Organizations that do not otherwise meet the eligibility requirements
