California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program
The State of California has enacted a grant program that can provide up to $25,000 to qualifying small businesses. Applications will begin to be accepted on December 30, 2020 and as of January 4th the closing date has been extended to January 13th, 2021
Grant Amounts:
The amount of grant funding ranges from $5,000 to $25,000. The eligible amount is based on the revenue documented in your businesses most recent tax return:
Eligible Business Revenue |
Grant Amount Available Per Business |
$1,000 to $100,000 |
$5,000 |
Greater than $100,000 up to $1,000,000 |
$15,000 |
Greater than $1,000,000 up to $2,500,000 |
$25,000 |
Eligibility:
A small business or small nonprofit must satisfy the following criteria to be eligible to receive a grant award:
Must meet the definition of an “eligible small business”. An “eligible small business” means (i) a “small business” (sole proprietor, independent contractor, 1099 work, and or registered “for-profit” business entity (e.g., C-corporation, S-corporation, limited liability company, partnership) that has yearly gross revenue of $2.5 million or less (but at least $1,000 in yearly gross revenue) based on most recently filed tax return) or (ii) a “small nonprofit” (registered 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(6) nonprofit entity having yearly gross revenue of $2.5 million or less (but at least $1,000 in yearly gross revenue) based on most recently filed Form 990)
Active businesses or nonprofits operating since at least June 1, 2019
Businesses must currently be operating or have a clear plan to re-open once the State of California permits re-opening of the business
Business must be impacted by COVID-19 and the health and safety restrictions such as business interruptions or business closures incurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic
Business must be able to provide organizing documents including 2018 or 2019 tax returns or Form 990s, copy of official filing with the California Secretary of State, if applicable, or local municipality for the business such as one of the following: Articles of Incorporation, Certificate of Organization, Fictitious Name of Registration or Government-Issued Business License
Business must be able to provide acceptable form of government-issued photo ID
Applicants with 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
Required Documents:
Application Certification: Signed certification used to certify your business
Business Financial Information:
Most recent tax return filed (2019 or 2018) – provided in an electronic form for online upload, such as PDF/JPEG or other approved upload format.
Copy of official filing with the California Secretary of State, if applicable, or local municipality for the business such as one of the following: Articles of Incorporation, Certificate of Organization, Fictitious Name of Registration or Government-Issued Business License.
