S.J. County offering economic developement funding

Beginning Monday, small businesses and nonprofit organizations in San Joaquin County can apply for grants through a new program approved by the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors.

The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors recently established a relief fund for each of the five county supervisorial districts, and allocated $3 million in each district fund, for a total of $15 million. This fund was created to provide immediate relief for small businesses and nonprofits impacted by the COVID19 pandemic.

“COVID-19 has hit small businesses particularly hard, with many non-essential businesses being required to close in order to stop the spread of the virus. The economic impact of the pandemic has left many residents out of work and many businesses having to consider closing permanently,” said San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors Chair, Kathy Miller. “This money will deliver a much-needed boost to San Joaquin County businesses which embody the backbone of our local economy. Our hope is that these grants will help small businesses and nonprofits be able to emerge from this pandemic by getting operations back up and running, retaining employees, and dealing with COVID-19 related impacts and requirements.”

Beginning at 9 a.m. on Monday, small businesses, including health care providers, will be able to access the grant application forms and submit to the county a CARES Act funded grant request for actual costs incurred because of COVID-19. The following small businesses or nonprofits in San Joaquin County are eligible to apply:

• Has at least one employee (not counting the business owner), but not more than 50 fulltime employees.

• The requirement of at least one employee, not counting the business owner, does not apply to independent health-care providers and health-care clinicians.

• Has unfunded payroll, rent/lease, or personal protective equipment expenses due to business interruptions caused by COVID-19 from March 1 until the date of the grant application. For the first round of this grant program, grant requests must be received prior to June 30, and will be evaluated on a first-come, first-served basis.

• Operates out of a physical commercial storefront within the county limits of San Joaquin.

• A commercial storefront is not required for independent health-care providers and health-care clinicians must have a primary residence in the County.

• Has an active business license and has been in operation in the county for one year as of March

1.

• Follows the most recent guidance provided by the United States Department of the Treasury on eligibility.

In order to apply for grant funding, businesses should submit a complete application package via email to SmallBusinessGrant@sjgov.org. The grant application and associated documents will be available on the Small Business Assistance Grant Program website www.sjgov.link/grants beginning at 9 a.m. on Monday. Grant applications will be evaluated by a private firm for completeness using a comprehensive set of criteria consistent with federal statutes, regulations, and terms and conditions of San Joaquin County award. This private firm will provide an independent review of the grant applications and ensure a timely and transparent approval process.

San Joaquin County staff are available from 8 am to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, to answer questions at: SmallBusinessGrantQuestions@sjgov.org.