$3.6 Million Grant Funds for Small Businesses

Lane County Announces $3.6 Million in Small Business Grants

We have some exciting updates regarding the grant funds Lane County will be receiving from the State of Oregon (there is a Spanish translation of this announcement attached)! First, the application will be going live 5:00 pm, Thursday, December 3rd on the Community LendingWorks website (communitylendingworks.org/emergency-grants/) and will remain open through Sunday, December 13th. The application will be streamlined to take businesses approximately 5 minutes to complete online.

After the application period closes, there will be a two-phase lottery system to ensure an equitable and fair distribution. Grants will be distributed in the following amounts, based on number of Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) employees:

Grant Amounts
Sole proprietor  $7,500
1-5 FTE               $15,000
6-15 FTE             $20,000
16-25 FTE           $25,000

General Eligibility Requirements

• The business was adversely affected in either one of the following two ways:
  • The business was prohibited from operating as directed by Executive Orders 20-12 or 20-65; or
  • The business can demonstrate a one-month decline in sales of 25% or more, incurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, between March 1, 2020 and November 30, 2020, as compared against the same period of time in 2019.
• Be located within Lane County, is headquartered in Oregon and has its principal operations in Oregon.
• If required by Oregon law to be registered with the Oregon Secretary of State to do business in Oregon, the business is so registered
• Businesses who have received federal dollars, through the Paycheck Protection Program or the Economic Injury Disaster Loan, are able to apply for and receive these grant funds
• 501(c)(3) Nonprofits are eligible
• 501(c)(6) entities are NOT eligible
• The business had 25 Full-Time Employees (FTE) or less, as of December 31, 2019

1st Lottery for Priority-Eligible Businesses, 75% of funding ($2,744,317)
Includes businesses who meet the General Eligibility requirements above AND any of the following criteria:

• Those businesses in the tourism, hospitality, and event sectors including (defined as restaurants, bars, wineries, breweries, lodging, caterers, and event rental companies)
• Those that had to close due to either of the Governor’s ordered Freezes (gyms/fitness, indoor recreation, museums, indoor/outdoor entertainment, indoor/outdoor pools, sports courts, event venues, zoos, gardens, aquariums) 
• Businesses that identify as minority-owned, women-owned, service-disabled, or veteran-owned, for 51% or more ownership
• Rural businesses (those outside of the Eugene and Springfield city limits)

2nd Lottery, 25% of funding ($914,772)
Businesses must meet the General Eligibility requirements above. Any priority-eligible businesses who are not selected in the 1st lottery will be included in this lottery as well.

Community LendingWorks anticipates that businesses will receive funds the last week of December through mid-January.