Port St. Lucie - Thursday March 21, 2024: Small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic can still access funding resources that can help their financial recovery.
The City of Port St. Lucie, in partnership with the Florida Small Business Development Center at Indian River State College, launched the COVID-19 Small Business Grant Program to support eligible businesses financially affected by the pandemic.
On March 4, the COVID-19 Small Business Grant Program application portal was reopened and will remain open until all funds are exhausted.
The City had a total of $390,000 available to expend on grants of up to $10,000 per approved applicant. As of mid-March, 23 applicants had been approved for grants, leaving a total of approximately $165,000 remaining.
Eligible small businesses may receive up to $10,000 in the form of a reimbursement grant, which can be used for business-related expenses, including mortgage, rent, utility, insurance premium costs, reopening costs, costs for safety measures and payroll during a business closure. The City received funds for the COVID-19 Small Business Grant Program from FloridaCommerce through its Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus Program.
Completed applications will be processed in the order they are received. If an application is incomplete or missing the supporting documentation necessary for processing, it will not be processed until completed. An applicant who applies and meets all the eligibility criteria will be notified by the Port St. Lucie Neighborhood Services Department about the status of their application and any future steps in the processing of their file by telephone and/or email (if applicable).
The Port St. Lucie COVID-19 Small Business Grant Program is designed for low- to moderate-income Census tract areas or individual business owner(s) whose household income qualifies as low or moderate income. Applications from small businesses that have not received prior COVID-19 relief funding will be prioritized.
To apply, applicants must:
• Have between 0-50 employees.
• Have been in operation before the COVID-19 pandemic or before March 1, 2020.
• Be located within a qualified low- to moderate-income Census Tract (QCT) or the owner of the business must qualify as a low- to moderate-income household within the City.
• Be current on their federal, state, county and city taxes.
• Have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Be registered with the Florida Division of Corporations.
Review the City’s Program Guide in full before applying.
Note: An applicant must create a profile on ZoomGrants to be able to complete the online application. If an applicant is having technical difficulties with the online portal, they must request technical help from ZoomGrants.
Representatives from the Florida Small Business Development Center at Indian River State College are collaborating with the City to help residents get applications submitted and approved.
If an applicant has questions regarding the program guide and/or eligibility criteria, they can contact their office at 772-336-6310 or email fsbdc@irsc.edu.