STOCKTON – Small businesses and nonprofit organizations in San Joaquin County can still apply for the County’s latest round of Federal CARES Act grants approved by the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors. The County’s current round of grant programs closes on August 31, 2020. On May 12, 2020, the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors established a $15 million CARES Act Economic Development Fund to provide immediate relief for small businesses and nonprofits impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The first round of grant funding occurred from June 1 through June 30, 2020. On July 7, 2020, the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors approved the expansion of the County’s Small Business Assistance Grant Program, which included an additional $1 million for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). This second round of grant programs has new criteria to increase the number of qualifying organizations and devotes approximately $8 million for the following:
· Micro Business Assistance Grant Program. This grant is intended to assist businesses and non-profits with zero full-time employees (other than the business owners). The maximum grant is $4,000 per applicant.
· Small Business Assistance Grant Program – Round 2. This grant is an extension of the grant program launched on June 1, 2020 and closed on June 30, 2020. This grant is intended to assist small businesses with between 1 and 50 full-time employees. The maximum grant per applicant is limited to the number of full-time employees multiplied by $2,000.
· Enhanced Small Business Assistance Grant Program. This grant is intended to assist businesses and non-profits with between 51 and 250 employees. The maximum grant is $100,000 per applicant.
· Personal Protective Equipment Grant Program. This grant is intended to provide businesses and non-profits of any size with PPE supplies, such as masks, which will be available for pick-up at a location determined by the County. The Micro Business, Small Business, and Enhanced Small Business Assistance Grants are for qualified businesses and non-profits in San Joaquin County that have documented, unfunded expenditures incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant funds may only be used to cover expenditures incurred between March 1, 2020 and the date of the grant application. The Personal Protective Equipment Grant is open to all qualified businesses and non-profits in San Joaquin County. Businesses and non-profits that received a cash grant award in Round 1 of the County grant program can apply for another grant in Round 2 for new COVID-19 related expenses. “San Joaquin County’s CARES Act grant program has already approved approximately $3 million in cash grants and distributed over 20,000 masks to businesses and non-profits throughout the County,” said Kathy Miller, Chair of the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors. “Because the COVID-19 pandemic continues to negatively impact businesses and non-profits, the County has expanded its grant program efforts to assist as many qualifying organizations as possible within the community.” The grant application forms and associated documents are available for on the County’s website www.sjgov.link/grants. Grant applications will be evaluated by two private firms (TMC Financing and Valley First Credit Union) for completeness using a comprehensive set of criteria consistent with Federal statutes, regulations, and terms and conditions of the San Joaquin County award. These private firms will provide an independent review of the grant applications and ensure a timely and transparent approval process. The current round of grant programs ends on August 31, 2020. Grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis for qualified applicants, so business owners and non-profits are encouraged to apply as soon as possible before all funding is allocated. Incomplete applications will not be considered. San Joaquin County staff are available Monday – Friday, from 8 am to 5 pm, to answer questions at: SmallBusinessGrantQuestions@sjgov.org.
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