9.e2 Business Assistance COVID-19 Relief Program GuidelinesMVWASHINGTON
COUNTY
Community
Development
Agency
7645 Currell Boulevard, Woodbury, MN 55125
office: 651-458-0936 fax: 651-458-1696
Washington County Small Business COVID-19 Relief Fund Guidelines
In response to Federal and State Governments pronouncing a State of Emergency due
to the fast moving COVID-19 pandemic, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed
Executive Order 20-04 to order temporary closure of Minnesota restaurants and bars to
dine — in customers. Executive Order 20-08 further ordered the closing of other places
of public accommodation. In addition, Executive Order 20-20 ordered all persons
currently living within the State of Minnesota to Stay at Home.
The goals and objectives of this program are:
• To provide emergency financial assistance for businesses that are experiencing
financial hardships due to the COVID-19 related restrictions.
• Allocate Federal CARES Act resources to this program from the State of
Minnesota and local governmental units that have received direct funding.
• Ensure that this assistance will be beneficial to the business and in compliance
with the Federal rules, regulations and appropriation.
• Facilitate business survival, especially for small businesses during this pandemic.
• Enhance, to the greatest extent possible the retention of jobs throughout the
County.
To provide emergency business assistance grants to small local businesses in
Washington County adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Washington
County Small Business Relief Fund will provide grants of up to $15,000 to small
businesses most in need of support. Providing this support is intended to increase the
capacity of small businesses with a physical location in Washington County to survive
the current pandemic crisis and may help prevent business closures, job losses and
potential future blight scenarios.
We understand there is a cost to reopening your business safely. These grant funds can
be used to ensure your business can afford to operate while maintaining the social
distancing guidelines for the safety of your employees and customers.
The Relief Fund will be administered by the Metropolitan Consortium of Community
Developers' (MCCD), Open to Business Program, which currently provides technical
assistance and access to capital for businesses throughout Washington County.
Terms
• Up to $15,000 grant based on economic injury from COVID-19 and eligible
expenses.
Funds can only be used for Federal CARES Act eligible COVID-19 related or
incurred public health emergency business operating expenses, including rent
payments, mortgage payments, payments to suppliers, payments to private utility
companies or other critical non -payroll business expenses (including expenses
related to reopening) as approved by MCCD and the CDA. If any other COVID-19
related business assistance grant funds were received from the SBA Paycheck
Protection Program, Economic Injury Disaster Loan, Pandemic Unemployment
Assistance, local city or township grants and/or State of Minnesota Department of
Employment and Economic Development, Washington County funds may NOT be
used for the same expenses that were paid with other sources of funds. By Federal
CARES Act regulations, funds may not be used for government utility (i.e. water and
sewer) expenses or for the payment of federal, state, local tax obligations which
includes property and sales tax.
Eligible Businesses
• Must be a locally owned and operated for-profit business with a physical address
documenting business establishment in Washington County. Multiple individual
businesses located in Washington County that are owned by one owner are eligible
to apply.
• For up to the maximum $15,000 funding limit, businesses must have at least one
FTE (full time equivalent) employee in addition to the owner as of March 1, 2020 and
not more than 50 employees, and generate under $3.5 million in annual revenues.
• Must have been operating for at least 6 months prior to March 1, 2020.
• If required by the state or local government, businesses must be licensed and in
good standing. Property taxes must have been current prior to March 1, 2020.
• Business must demonstrate a significant loss in revenue since March 15 (no credit
score or collateral requirements apply).
• Home-based businesses are eligible; however, priority will be given to employer
businesses with separate non-residential property addresses. Separate funding level
(up to $7,500 maximum) for home-based businesses or for self-employed
entrepreneurs that have no employees that have a physical location for their
business in Washington County other than their personal residence. All other terms
and conditions of these policies apply to any home-based or self-employed
businesses.
Certain businesses are ineligible, including:
Non-profit, religious, or membership -based organizations.
Corporate owned chains are ineligible to receive funding; however, locally owned
franchise businesses are eligible.
Businesses in default conditions prior to February 29, 2020.
Businesses that primarily derive income from: gambling, adult entertainment,
pawned merchandise, guns, passive investments, real estate transactions, property
rentals or property management, billboards, or lobbying.
Application Process
All businesses must complete, sign and certify the grant application. The
business must provide all required information verifying their eligibility. All
businesses must provide and document evidence of COVID-19 eligible expenses
incurred.
Application Forms will be accepted beginning August 10, 2020 through August 24,
2020 at 4:30 pm. Applications will be prioritized and funded to the businesses that
best meet program goals and priority will be given to those business types previously
identified as stated above of this policy. The program administrator and/or the CDA
reserve any and all rights to deny any application that is not in compliance with
program guidelines or these stated policies.
If applications exceed the funding available, the fund administrator Metropolitan
Consortium of Community Developers (MCCD) will select grant recipients using a
priority -based selection process based on criteria determined by Washington County.
The program administrator, MCCD, will begin to notify approved applicants by email
on or before August 31, 2020.
Upon notice of an approved application, applicants will be required to submit the
following within 10 business days:
0 2019 Federal Business Tax Return or appropriate Business Tax Schedule -
based on entity type. Businesses that have not yet completed a 2019 Federal
Return are eligible to apply and substitute other documentation of revenue.
o Evidence of revenue loss related to the COVID-19 pandemic emergency.
Applicants should submit documentation that best demonstrates the impact
and is deemed acceptable to Program Administrator. Some examples of
acceptable documentation include: Landlord letters, Sales Tax Reporting,
Period Statements from 3rd -party Sales Platforms, Merchant Services
Statements, and Point of Sale or Register reports.
o Evidence of employment prior to March 1 st, 2020. Acceptable documentation
may include period reporting from a 3rd -party payroll processor, applicant's
Federal Form 941/Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return, or other State or
Federal payroll -related filing.
o Any additional documentation or information deemed necessary by the fund
administrator to determine eligibility, generate grant agreement documents,
disburse grant proceeds, or meet program reporting requirements.
o Failure to submit any required documentation will result in forfeiture of
funding award. Grant proceeds will be disbursed after applicant complies with
all policy provisions; and executes a grant agreement.
Note: The Washington County CDA Board reserves the right to revise these guidelines
as needed to best address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.