City of El Paso Small Business Recovery Grant Program

UPDATE 10/16/2020

Application Deadline is rolling until funds are exhausted on or before November 30th.

The City of El Paso Small Business Recovery Grant Program supports an inclusive and diverse small business environment in the City of El Paso. The City of El Paso, Texas is utilizing funding provided from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act, to provide financial assistance in form of grants to small businesses and nonprofit organizations impacted financially by COVID-19.

Businesses with 5-20 full time equivalent employees and annual gross revenue up to $2 million may apply.
The program has dedicated $8.5 million to small business recovery grants. Funds will be issued before December 30, 2020.
Grants awarded for this program are up to $25,000 per business. Businesses registered as sole proprietors are not eligible for this program.
Only one grant per business owner is permitted. Different applications for multiple businesses with the same business owner will be declined

Business Qualifications

The fund is not first come first served. All applications will be reviewed based on stated and verified business information and business operations.

Annual gross revenues of not more than $2 million from all business activities;
Limited to businesses that are located and will remain in the City of El Paso;
Demonstrates a loss of at least 15% of revenue in the period beginning March 12, 2020;
Business established prior to August 1, 2019; must be registered as an LLC or for-profit corporation
Business employs at the time of application 5-20 full time equivalent employees;
The following business types are not eligible to apply: gambling or gaming, national franchises, adult establishments, pay day loan or auto loan stores.

For independent contractors and sole proprietors without employees please apply here.

Grant Amounts:

Grant awards are up to $25,000

Grant Document Verification:

Business entity formation document through El Paso County or the Texas Secretary of State;
2020 bank statements related to business activity from January through July;
Payroll documentation with employee listing/count;
IRS Form 941 for 1st and/or 2nd quarter 2020;
Business tax return (2018 or 2019) to determine business revenue;
Valid identification (ID, passport, matricula);
Proof of business location (business utility bill or lease)

All documents must be provided in order for the application to be considered complete. Any applications submitted without documents or incorrect documents will NOT be considered. Applicants have the ability to upload the documents securely and safely through the online application.

Eligible Expenditures:

Businesses may apply for the following expenses associated with re-starting business operations: payroll, lease/mortgage, supplies, inventory, utility, etc.

How to apply:

Applications must be submitted online starting August 24th 2020 at 9:00 AM MT and will be accepted until 5:00 PM MT on November 30th 2020.

Applicants will create an account to apply online. This will allow users to save progress on their applications should they need additional time to fill out the application.

The application period will be open for 15 days and a review period of 15 days after the application period will be used to review the submitted applications and verify the business qualifies. Please be prepared for a follow up via email or phone from a LiftFund team member.

Please make sure to keep a note of your user name and password. Click the link below to begin your application:

Timeline:

Application Open: August 24th at 8:00 a.m. MDT to November 30th 5:00 p.m. MDT
Application lottery conducted: September 21st
Assess Applications: September 15th to October 15th
Awards: October 15th to October 31st

Grant Follow Up:

All businesses receiving a grant will be required to complete a follow-up survey after the grant is awarded for documentation and impact purposes. Grant recipients must also keep detailed records of 2020-2021 reopening dates, receipts for expenditure of grant funds, and staff and payroll records for review which the City of El Paso and LiftFund would be able to access.

Checklist:

Number	Item	Description
1	Business Entity Formation Document	Document from El Paso County and/or Secretary of State with date of formation
2	Business Tax Return 2018 or 2019	2018 Tax Return Completed or 2019 Tax Return Completed/Stated
3	List of Employees from Payroll System 2020	Payroll System Generated
4	2020 Quarter 1 & 2 IRS 941 form	Submitted 941
5	Current State or Federal Identification	Current State or Federal ID, not expired
6	Proof of business address	Billing verifying business address
7	Business associated bank statements	January through July 2020