City of Fairfield grants available to small businesses
August 17 2020On August 4, 2020 the Fairfield City Council approved a $400,000 grant program to assist small businesses that experienced severely limited operations or required closures due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The grant program will provide direct financial assistance to small businesses, the core of Fairfield's economy.
The application window opens through 8/28. Please visit fairfield.ca.gov/cares for information.
Eligibility Requirements
Business Size – businesses with up to 20 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions. One FTE totals 40 hours per week. This can be one employee or any combination of part-time employees whose weekly hours total 40.
Business Type – only for-profit businesses are eligible to receive funds.
Location – the business must have a physical store front or office located within the jurisdictional boundaries of the City of Fairfield. The business must have been closed, or have had operations severely limited, due to County Public Health orders. Home-based businesses and businesses that were not required to close during COVID-19 are not eligible for grant funding.
Age – the business must have been in operation since January 1, 2019 to be eligible for grant funds.
Revenues – businesses with gross revenues less than $2 million per year are eligible. The business must demonstrate profitability prior to COVID-19 and demonstrate revenue losses of at least 20% due to COVID-19.
Ownership – only independently owned and operated businesses are eligible. Franchise businesses may be eligible if they 1) own two or fewer businesses; 2) their only location(s) are within Fairfield; and 3) they are not receiving any corporate support.
Other Requirements – all applicants must be in good business standing (current business license, no liens or judgments, no bankruptcy filings, etc). Each applicant is only eligible for one grant under the program (i.e. owner of multiple businesses cannot apply multiple times for differing business entities).
Funding Limits– grant funds are available in three categories: micro-businesses with 5 or fewer FTEs are eligible for up to $5,000; businesses with 6-10 FTEs are eligible for up to $7,500; and businesses with 11-20 employees are eligible for up to $10,000.
Eligible Expenditures – grant funds may be used for lease payments, payroll, utilities, business supplies (including PPE), equipment purchases that expand operations, and investments in software or technology that allow for a shift to online operations. Other expenses may be eligible as reviewed on a case by case basis.
Please visit fairfield.ca.gov/cares for information.