Application Window is CLOSED
The Ventura County Microbusiness Covid-19 Relief Grant application window is now closed. If you applied for a grant please log in to your account to check your grant status.
NOTE FOR GRANT RECIPIENTS: If you have not received the check by the end of June, please contact the Call Center at 888-405-1004.
Additionally, we encourage you to deposit or cash your check as soon as possible to avoid losing or destruction of the check.
Funded in part through a Grant from the California Office of the Small Business Advocate.
Basic Eligibility
- Annual gross revenue must be between $1,000 and $50,000 on 2019 taxes
- Began operations on or before before December 31, 2019
- Must be significantly impacted by COVID-19 pandemic
- Open and operating in Ventura County
- Nonprofits must be either a 501c(3), 501c(6), or 501c(19)
- Must be currently open and operating
- Only one grant application per microbusiness or owner
- The owner is the majority-owner and manager or the authorized agent of the nonprofit
- The microbusiness is the owner’s primary means of income
- The microbusiness currently has fewer than five full-time equivalent employees and had fewer than five full-time employees in the 2019 and 2020 taxable years.
- Business and/or owner did NOT receive a grant from the California Covid-19 Relief Grant program. (CLICK HERE to check grant status)
Other Eligibility
- Agree to spend the grant award on only eligible uses of funds as described below.
- Accept that information provided is subject to the Public Records Act.
- Microbusiness or owner is not an ineligible business type as listed below.
Ventura County reserves the right to ask for additional documentation to verify eligibility or prevent possible fraud.
Required Documentation
To be eligible, applicants must provide the following documents. Documents must be scanned in color and not be expired.
- Government-issued photo ID of the microbusiness owner or nonprofit authorized agent
- Tax returns and attachments filed in 2019 or Form 990 (ePostcard accepted) for nonprofit organizations. Upload all pages and attachments. Nonprofits can download their Form 990 from the IRS website HERE.
- Proof of business operations within Ventura County (acceptable documents may include state county or city permits or licenses; CA seller's permit; county tax bill; most recent utility bill or bank statements; CA child care license; and CA Secretary of State filings ).
- IRS Form W-9 (Click to download form)
- Nonprofit Organizations: IRS nonprofit determination letter (Click for Instructions)
How Recipients will be Determined
- Applications will be accepted from March 16 at 8 am until April 12 at 6 pm, regardless of whether grant funds have been exhausted.
- Applications will be evaluated based on a first come, first serve basis; however, applications that meet one or more of the priority factors will be given priority for grant awards.
- Microbusinesses that received a County of Ventura COVID-19 Business Assistance Grant program will be considered the lowest priority for grant awards.
- Grants will be awarded until grant funds are exhausted.
Priority Factors
Microbusinesses that are majority-owned and operated on a daily basis by a group that faces systemic barriers to accessing capital.
Nonprofit microbusinesses must have a board of directors’ majority in one of these groups.
- Women-owned businesses
- Minority/person of color-owned businesses
- Veteran-owned business
- Businesses located in low-wealth and rural communities
Ineligible Organizations
Types of organizations not eligible include:
- Nonprofit businesses not registered as a 501(c)(3), 501(c)(6), or 501(c)(19).
- Government entities (other than Native American tribes) or elected official offices.
- Organizations primarily engaged in political or lobbying activities (regardless of whether such organizations qualify as exempt from taxation under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3), 501(c)(19) or 501(c)(6)).
- Churches and other religious institutions (regardless of whether such entities qualify as a 501(c)(3), 501(c)(6) or 501(c)(19)), other than a school, child care, or other educational business affiliated where (i) greater than 50% of the gross annual revenue is derived from the school, child care facility or educational business and (ii) the grant will be used only for eligible costs and expenses directly related to the school, child care, or other educational business, and no portion of the grant will be used for any normal profit or overhead of the church or other religious institution.
- Passive businesses, investment companies and investors who file a Schedule E on their personal tax returns
- Financial institutions or businesses primarily engaged in the business of lending, such as banks, finance companies, and factoring companies.
- Businesses engaged in any activity that is unlawful under federal, state, or local law
- Businesses with any owner of greater than 10 percent of the equity interest in it who meets one or more of the following criteria: • (i) The owner has, within the prior three years, been convicted of or had a civil judgment rendered against the owner, or has had commenced any form of parole or probation, including probation before judgment, for commission of fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a federal, state, or local public transaction or contract under a public transaction, violation of federal or state antitrust or procurement statutes or commission of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false statements, or receiving stolen property. • (ii) The owner is presently indicted for or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a federal, state, or local government entity, with commission of any of the offenses enumerated in clause (i).
- Businesses that restrict patronage for any reason other than capacity
- Speculative businesses
- Affiliated companies, as defined in Section 121.103 of Title 13 of the Code of Federal Regulations
- Businesses of a prurient sexual nature, including businesses which present live performances of a prurient sexual nature and businesses which derive directly or indirectly more than de minimis gross revenue through the sale of products or services, or the presentation of any depictions or displays, of a prurient sexual nature.
- Businesses engaged in any socially undesirable activity or activity that may be considered predatory in nature such as rent-to-own businesses and check cashing businesses.
- Multiple business entities, franchises, locations, etc. are not eligible for multiple grants and are only allowed to apply once using their eligible small business with the highest revenue.
- Businesses that do not otherwise meet the eligibility requirements
- Business and/or owner that received a grant from the California Covid-19 Relief Grant program. (CLICK HERE to check grant status)
Eligible Uses of Funds
The following are the eligible uses of grant funds:
- The purchase of new certified equipment including, but not limited to, a cart.
- Investment in working capital.
- Application for, or renewal of, a local permit including, but not limited to, a permit to operate as a sidewalk vendor.
- Costs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and related health and safety restrictions, or business interruptions including:
- Employee expenses including payroll costs, health care benefits, paid sick, medical, or family leave, and insurance premiums.
- Working capital and overhead, including rent, utilities, mortgage principal, and interest payments, but excluding mortgage prepayments, and debt obligations, including principal and interest, incurred before December 31, 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
