Up to $10,000 Grants Available to Qualifying Small Businesses, Only Certain Cities Eligible

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has created a new $23 million COVID-19 business relief program.

Small businesses, home-based businesses, mobile businesses and non-profits are eligible for up to $10,000 grants to reimburse businesses for expenses and losses.

Applications will be accepted from July 9 through July 31, 2020.

“This grant program will truly make a difference for Tempe’s local businesses and I thank the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors for their vision,” said Tempe Mayor Corey Woods. “We need to support our small businesses every way we can right now.”

The grants will be open to businesses and non-profits across Maricopa County, except those in the cities of Phoenix and Mesa since those cities received significant CARES Act money and are operating similar programs. Also, businesses that received federal COVID-19 loans, such as Payroll Protection Program, Economic Injury Disaster Loan, SBA Express Bridge Loans, and SBA Debt Relief, are ineligible for this money.

Grants will be awarded on a first-come basis. Applicants will need to meet pre-qualification guidelines, answer a series of questions about their business, and provide requested documentation.

Qualifications include:

• The business was in operation in Maricopa County but not within the cities of Phoenix or Mesa prior to January 1, 2019.
• Business employed 25 or fewer full-time equivalents as of March 1, 2020.
• Business did not generate more than $3 million in gross sales (or revenues, in the case of non-profits) between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2019.
• Business certifies that gross sales or revenues declined by at least 25 percent as a result of COVID-19 in March and April 2020 compared to March and April, 2019.
• Business must meet required zoning and regulatory requirements
  • Business must have proper zoning entitlements
  • The business may not have any active enforcement actions against them by Maricopa County or their respective city/town government
  • The regulated business must be in substantial compliance meaning that the county or respective city/town has not taken any enforcement action authorized by law for any deficiencies.
• Business must be in good standing with the Arizona Corporation Commission.

For more information about the Small Business Relief Program, including application materials and requirements visit: www.azfoundation.org/MaricopaRelief.  Questions can also be emailed to: MaricopaRelief@azfoundation.org.