Applications accepted for second round of CARES Act grants for Tarrant County small businesses

Mansfield small businesses negatively impacted by the pandemic who did not receive grants during the first round of applications this summer now have a second chance.

The application period opened Monday, Oct. 26 and will continue to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10. The program information, eligibility criteria and documentation requirements are available online now at http://smallbusiness.tarrantcounty.com .  

The second round application maintains the same basic eligibility requirements as the first round, with the addition of independently-owned and operated franchise businesses that were not eligible in round one.  The financial information to be included by the applicant in the application has been streamlined for the second round and is limited to the total business deposit amounts for January, February, April and May 2020, with tax documentation and bank statements to be uploaded. This is an online application only and all documentation must be uploaded with the application before submittal.

The second round of applications for the Small Business Assistance Grant program is available for those businesses that may have missed the application period in the first round, started an application but did not complete i, or did not provide the correct information for their first round application that caused them to be deemed ineligible and not receive an award. Businesses/Owners receiving a grant award in round one will NOT be eligible for another grant award in round two. Owners with more than one business who received grant funding for a business in the first round will NOT be eligible to receive grant funds for a different business in the second round.    

The Tarrant County Small Business Assistance Grant program is designed to provide financial assistance to very small businesses located and operating in Tarrant county (outside the City of Fort Worth) that have been adversely affected by the current COVID-19 public health emergency and most likely have found it difficult to apply and access other federal grants or loans through the SBA or traditional banks and lending institutions. This grant program is aimed at assisting small businesses with the costs of business interruption caused by required closures. The dollar amount of individual grants will be determined by the financial information provided, the number of eligible grant applications received and the funding pool available, with no individual grant being more than $10,000.

Grant criteria includes:

a small business with 25 or less FTE employees

located within Tarrant County and outside the City of Fort Worth

a for-profit business in operation in Tarrant County as of Jan. 1, 2020

limited to one (1) business per owner(s)

business was closed or partially closed due to COVID-19

business shows a reduction in net profit or an increased loss from COVID-19

Allowable expenses for grant reimbursement consideration includes:

payroll costs for employees

contract labor

supplier payments

rent, lease or mortgage payment (excluding escrow for property taxes) for real property used for business purposes (i.e. storefront or warehouse, excluding personal residence.)

rent, lease or purchase payment for business property (e.g., delivery vehicle, food truck, kitchen equipment, technology, payment and communications systems and equipment)

new or expanded technology applications and Wi-Fi services

utility payments for business properties (excluding personal residence)

cost of critical business operations (raw materials, inventory spoilage, etc. payments)

PPE and sanitation supplies and equipment

interest on other business debt obligations incurred before Jan. 1, 2020 (excluding personal residence)

other reimbursable costs of business interruption contemplated by the CARES Act.

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