By Lillian Boyd
More information has been released regarding how small businesses in the Fifth District of Orange County can qualify for funding.
The Orange County Board of Supervisors had voted on Tuesday, May 19, to allocate $75 million in federal CARES Act funding to support local businesses, directing staff to come back with clear definitions for qualifying small businesses and options for funding uses. The $75 million will now be split equally between districts.
“We all want to help small businesses, and we all have a slightly different approach to get there,” Bartlett said during the discussion. “We all want to extend that lifeline out there . . . I want to be able to sustain these businesses for the long term.”
The Fifth District Grant (part of the Small Business Grant Relief Program) allows for businesses and nonprofit organizations to request up to $10,000 in funding for rent, payroll (as long as Paycheck Protection Plan was not received), utilities, insurance, accounts payable, personal protective equipment and inventory.
Selection will be randomized and broken down by city within the Fifth Supervisorial District, with one allocation to account for the portions of Irvine and unincorporated communities. The total value of grant awards will be based on the percentage of population of each city or unincorporated area.
As far as eligibility, businesses must be impacted by COVID-19, have no more than 25 employees, and provide proof of operations for the past year in a city within the Fifth District.
The $75 million comes out of the $554 million that Orange County received from the CARES Act, also known as the coronavirus relief bill. The funding has gone toward testing and personal protective equipment such as medical grade masks and gloves for first responders and health care officials.
In order to qualify, a business or nonprofit must be eligible to receive federal funding.
Applications will open on Friday, June 19, at 8 a.m. and close on Tuesday, June 23 at 5 p.m. An informational webinar will be held Thursday, June 11, at noon. Visit tinyurl.com/D5webinar to register.
Lillian Boyd
Lillian Boyd is the senior editor for Picket Fence Media and city editor for Dana Point Times. She graduated with a degree in journalism from Humboldt State University. Her work experience includes interviewing incarcerated individuals in the Los Angeles County jails, an internship at the Pentagon covering U.S. Army news as well as reporting and anchoring for a local news radio station in Virginia. Follow her on Twitter @Lillianmboyd and follow Dana Point Times at @danapointtimes.
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