Eligibility Requirements

Overview

Oakland County is dedicating $28 to $30 million from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Fund to help small businesses negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This competitive grant program is focused on these hard-hit sectors:

• Retail
• Food and Lodging Personal Services
• Business Services
• Entertainment and Recreation
• Construction and Maintenance Services

You are eligible to apply for this grant if your business falls within any of these sectors and due to the COVID - 19 pandemic you have experienced any of the following between March 2020 through June 2020:

• A loss of gross receipts or sales
• Operated at a reduced level of production, sales, employment or service
• Have temporarily closed all operations and are now in the process of reopening

This is a competitive grant program and applications will be reviewed and determinations on awards will be made periodically throughout, and following, the 6-week application period ending on Monday August 24, 2020.

The time required to review, qualify, confirm applicant submittal data is accurate and make award determinations will take approximately 4 weeks from the time of submittal. You will be updated periodically on where your application is at in the process.

Applications will be reviewed based on business type and ownership, lost revenue and employment, and previous and future commitment to good public health practices.

Additional Eligibility Requirements

The business must provide and/or sell goods, products and/or services at or from a physical location within Oakland County Michigan.

If the business owns the building it operates from, as of the application submittal date, there can be no 2019, or prior, property tax payments overdue.

If the business operates out of a residence (home-based business) as of the application submittal date, there can be no 2019, or prior, property tax payments overdue.

The business must employ 100 or fewer full-time and/or part-time employees.

Must be a for-profit business.

Eligible Businesses

Retail

• Pharmacies, cosmetics, optical goods, other health and personal care stores
• Clothing, shoe, sporting goods, resale and consignment stores
• Book stores, office supplies, stationery, gift stores, florists
• Jewelry, art, hobby, musical instrument, pet supply and other miscellaneous retail stores

Food and Lodging

• Hotels and motels
• Food service contractors, caterers, and mobile food services (food trucks)
• Restaurants and other eating places
• Bars

Personal Services

• Barber shops, hair and nail salons
• Diet, weight loss, spas, massage, other personal care services
• Dry cleaning, laundry services

Business Services

• Interior, industrial, graphic, and other specialized design services
• Computer systems design, software, programming services
• Printing, market research, photography, advertising, public relations and related services
• Landscaping, extermination, janitorial and housekeeping services

Entertainment and Recreation

• Performing arts theatres
• Movie theatres
• Golf courses, skiing facilities, other recreation industries
• Yoga studios, gyms, fitness studios, personal trainers

Construction and Maintenance Services

• Concrete, framing, masonry, glass, roofing, siding
• Electrical, plumbing, HVAC, other systems and equipment
• Drywall, painting, flooring, finish carpentry
• Grading, excavating, other construction and maintenance services

Eligible use of grant funds

• Payroll costs for employees
• Rent or lease payments
• Mortgage or loan payments
• Utility payments
• Supplier payments
• Purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) and sanitation supplies
• Physical building adaptation / barriers
• Contract labor to implement public health measures
• Rent, lease, or purchase payments for business equipment implement public health measures
• Purchase Technology/Applications to minimize employee and customer contact
• Other measures to implement social distancing
• Replace perishable inventory that was lost due to COVID - 19 pandemic

Documentation

Please have on hand the following information prior to beginning the application process.

• 2019 Federal Tax Returns
• Information needed to complete a W9 form for your business
• Also documents that confirm the business address. Acceptable documents include:
  • Articles of Incorporation
  • Utility Bills
  • Tax Statements
  • Lease Agreement
  • Deed (if owner occupied)

Application Process

The information provided shall be kept confidential and used only for the purpose of determining eligibility for this grant program. When starting the application process, please have your 2019 Federal Tax Returns on hand.

Oakland County is collecting the Substitute Form W-9 and Vendor information as part of the grant application process. If your application is selected for a grant award, collecting this information upfront will assist us in facilitating a more efficient award process. However, providing this information with your application does not guarantee that your application will be selected for an award.

Apply Today: OakGov.com/COVID/Grants

DEADLINE TO APPLY: 5 p.m., August 24, 2020

Questions? Contact Oakland County’s Department of Economic Development & Community Affairs: RecoveryGrant@oakgov.com