County Advances to Second Phase of Microbusiness Grant Process
Deadline for second round of applications is May 9
SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIF., – The County of Santa Clara and the Enterprise Foundation began accepting applications for a second round of Microbusiness Grants. Applications for the first 500 grants opened on March 17 on a first-come, first-served basis and over 1,000 applications are being processed.
Applications for an additional 375 grants will be accepted through May 9 and will be awarded by a ranked lottery. Priority will be given to veteran-owned, women-owned, and minority-owned businesses, as well as small businesses located in underserved areas of Santa Clara County. Businesses that have already applied but were not awarded a grant, will automatically be entered into the lottery, and do not need to reapply.
“We’re very pleased that some microbusinesses are already receiving funds from the first phase of the grant process,” said County of Santa Clara Chief Operating Officer Miguel Márquez, J.D. “Microbusinesses in our community have been hit hard by the pandemic and it’s essential that they get this money as quickly as possible to help them survive. During the second phase, the County and our partners at the Enterprise Foundation will ensure the application process continues to be open and accessible to all eligible microbusinesses in Santa Clara County.”
The Board of Supervisors also authorized advance County funding for the first round of grants, so that recipients do not have to wait for the funds to come from the State. Several microbusinesses in the county are already receiving funds from the grant.
To qualify for one of the $2,500 grants, a business must have been open in 2019, have been negatively impacted by COVID-19, made less than $50,000 in total revenue in 2019, and have less than five employees. The applicant’s business must still be operating or plan to reopen in 2022.
The application is available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. It can be found at https://www.accesssbdc.org/mbcrg/.
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The County of Santa Clara government serves a diverse, multi-cultural population of 1.9 million residents in Santa Clara County, California, making it more populous than 14 states in the U.S. The County provides essential services to its residents, including public health protection, environmental stewardship, medical services through the County of Santa Clara Health System, child and adult protection services, homelessness prevention and solutions, roads, park services, libraries, emergency response to disasters, protection of minority communities and those under threat, access to a fair criminal justice system, and many other public benefits.
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Media Contact: María Leticia Gómez / Matthew Rudig; Office of Communications and Public Affairs, (408) 299-5119, [email protected]
Posted: 4/13/22