Applications Open At 8 A.M. Monday For $2,500 COVID-19 Small Business Recovery Grants In Escambia County, Pensacola

April 19, 2020

The application process begins Monday morning for $2,500 grants available to assist for-profit small businesses in Escambia County or the City of Pensacola.

Escambia County and the City of Pensacola, in partnership with the UWF Small Business Development Center, FloridaWest EDA and the Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce have created the Escambia County Small Business COVID-19 Recovery Grant Program. The grant is intended to assist for-profit businesses located in Escambia County with their immediate cash flow needs as a result of a demonstrated economic injury due to COVID-19. The max grant award is $2,500 per applicant or business.

The opening date to apply is Monday, April 20 at 8 a.m. CST with a deadline of Monday, April 27 at 5 p.m. CST. Complete applications will be reviewed in the order they are received.

Escambia County will fund the grant with a contribution of $100,000 to UWF. The City of Pensacola will contribute an additional $25,000 for businesses within the city, with $12,500 from Mayor Grover Robinson’s discretionary fund and $12,500 from District 3 Councilman Andy Terhaar’s discretionary fund. The Florida SBDC at UWF will assist eligible for-profit businesses with applying for the grant, and UWF will distribute the appropriate funds to businesses who have been awarded grant funds. A third-party review board will be created to review applications, determine eligibility and approve the award of grant funding to each applicant on a case-by-case basis using the following parameters:

Eligibility

YOUR BUSINESS MUST:

1.  Be a for-profit, privately held small business that maintains a place of business in Escambia County, Florida and established on, or before January 1, 2019. (verified by Sunbiz - dos.myflorida.com/sunbiz/search or hold an occupational or business license). Businesses within city limits applying for City of Pensacola funding must be registered in Sunbiz.

2. Have been a going concern since at least Jan. 1, 2019.

3.  Have been mandated by federal, state, or local government to reduce or eliminate services and/or have a demonstrated reduction in sales revenues of 25% or greater due to the loss of business income related to COVID-19.

4. Provide written justification of economic loss or injury caused as a result of the declared disaster, e.g. sales or income from a previous year compared to current period. Provide documentation of a reduction of sales revenues.

5.  Have been a small business with no more than 20 employees employed at the time of the disaster.

6.  Pledge in good-faith to remain in business for at least 6 months following the receipt of fund.

Steps to apply for the grant:

  1. Go to the Florida SBDC at UWF website www.sbdc.uwf.edu and select REQUEST SBDC CONSULTING and complete the online request form. Remember to identify “Escambia COVID-19 Grant” by name in the request form.
  2. Download the Escambia County Small Business COVID-19 Recovery Grant application at myescambia.com/COVID19Grant, complete and sign the application, and gather all supporting documents. Email completed and signed applications, as well as supporting documents, all in PDF format to fsbdcatuwf@gmail.com. Please put “Escambia COVID-19 Grant” in the subject line of the email.  For assistance with completing the application, contact the Florida SBDC at UWF at 850-586-7802 or fsbdcatuwf@gmail.com. If you need assistance scanning documentation into a PDF, please contact Escambia County’s Neighborhood and Human Services Division Manager Carla Thompson at 850-595-3123 or cell at 850-572-1938 to schedule an appointment at Brownsville Community Center, 3200 W. DeSoto, Pensacola. Only completed application forms with all requested supporting documents will be accepted for review.
    1. The application form must be completed and signed by individual(s) who, individually or collectively, own fifty-one percent (51%) or more of the equity of the business.
    2. A copy of each individual’s driver’s license or US Passport must be provided for identity verification purposes.

Each applicant OR business is only eligible for one grant. If the applicant OR business has received the Northwest Florida Small Business COVID-19 Grant they will not be eligible for the Escambia County Small Business Recovery COVID-19 Grant. Fifty percent of grant funds will be awarded to businesses with up to 10 employees, and 50 percent will be awarded to business with 11 to 20 employees. The Escambia grant will be awarded with consideration given to business locations throughout the entire county to ensure that all districts of the county are represented. The City of Pensacola’s contribution will be awarded to businesses within the city.

By partnering with UWF SBDC the applicant information remains confidential per state statute.

Comments

6 Responses to “Applications Open At 8 A.M. Monday For $2,500 COVID-19 Small Business Recovery Grants In Escambia County, Pensacola”

  1. jeanna Barns on April 27th, 2020 12:34 pm

    Hello,
    Im an independent contractor wand would like some more info on this process.

  2. Robert on April 21st, 2020 7:48 am

    Small businesses need more than 2500. If the millionaires get 1.7 million the low and moderate income 1200 a person 2400 a couple and 500 for children 16 and under something is really wrong with this government. The millionaires didn’t need any they are not worried where there next meal is coming from , how they are going to pay rent or the house payment. The small businesses should have received on their taxes filed. I read where a hamburger place received 10 million and returned it Rich get richer poor get poorer. That saying is for sure true

  3. BT on April 20th, 2020 9:50 am

    Business needs to be in Escambia County, doesn’t have to be in the Pensacola City limits. Best be quick though…if everybody applies for the maximum $2500 grant, only 55 businesses will get funding.

  4. Purvis’ Barber Shop on April 19th, 2020 8:55 pm

    Business in Cantonment Don’t Qualify.? Not in the City Limits Yes Or Noz

  5. Shay on April 19th, 2020 1:33 pm

    What about santa rosa county

  6. Joeanner Rogers on April 19th, 2020 8:14 am

    Trying To download application for grant

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News