As part of the Tustin Cares program, the City of Tustin has created a Small Business Recovery Grant Program, which will provide funding to small businesses needing financial assistance in overcoming the temporary loss of revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All eligible businesses are invited to apply. Businesses which have previously received alternative sources of funding such as the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) or Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan are eligible to apply. The program is based on the availability of funds, program guidelines and submission of all required information and supporting documentation. Small businesses with a minimum of one (1) employee – not including the owner, and a maximum of twenty-five (25) employees (full or full-time equivalent combination) may be eligible to receive a working capital grant of up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000). The grant may be used for working capital to cover the day-to-day business operating expenses such as rent/lease payments, mortgage payments, payroll and benefit costs, utility expenses, inventory, Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) or other similar expenses that occur in the ordinary course of operations.
Application Period
Online applications will be accepted from Monday, August 23, 2021 at 9:00 am to Friday, September 3, 2021 at 5:00 pm. Paper applications will not be accepted, but applicants needing assistance can contact the SBDC for telephone support at 1-800-616-7232. Applications received after this due date and time will be considered late and will not be accepted.
The City will disburse the $2,000,000 in two rounds of $1,000,000, equaling 100 grants each round. The City anticipates the number of applications will exceed the amount of funding available for disbursement. As a result, the City will implement a lottery system for all eligible small businesses. Once applications have been pre-approved, they will be assigned a number and entered into a lottery for selection. The first 100 businesses selected will be notified beginning September 10, 2021 and will then be asked to submit all required business and financial documentation for review and verification. The second 100 businesses selected will be notified beginning October 1, 2021.
Instructions
Please complete the entirety of the application and ensure all of your information is correct. If required fields are not complete you will receive an error notice which will not allow you to submit the application. For best results, we recommend using the following browsers: Chrome, Safari, Firefox. After submitting your application, you will receive an email confirmation.
To be eligible to apply for the Tustin Small Business Recovery Grant Program, a business must meet certain criteria that has been established by the City of Tustin and the guidelines set forth by the U.S. Department of Treasury for utilizing ARPA funds. The business must also demonstrate the need for financial support resulting from the temporary loss of revenue due to the impact of COVID-19.
General Terms and Conditions
* City employees and elected and appointed officials are not eligible to participate in this program
Eligible activities for the use of funds should be used to cover fixed expenses for the business. The primary fixed expenses include such items as rent or mortgage expense, utilities, inventory, payroll and benefit costs, PPE, or other operational expenses for the business. Applicants will fill out a use of funds section of the application form that will breakdown how the funds will be spent within their business. Each applicant will need to sign and verify that the use of funds will be spent on business expenses, such as those expressed above. Any use of funding other than that to support the business is strictly prohibited.
Eligible expenses are considered necessary expenditures that provide economic support in connection with the COVID-19 public health emergency and they were incurred during the period that begins on March 3, 2021 and ends on December 31, 2021. In the event a business does not expend the funds in the manner consistent with the “Spending Plan” as outlined in the application or does not expend the entire grant amount, the business will be required to submit a report to the City no later than January 31, 2022, identifying how the funds were spent. If there is a remaining balance, the business will be required to return the funds to the City by January 31, 2022.
The following is a nonexclusive list of expenditures that shall not constitute Eligible Expenses payable from the grant amount:
Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Funded in part through a grant with the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development.
Mike Daniel is the network director of the Orange County Inland Empire SBDC Network, which assists aspiring entrepreneurs and current business owners throughout Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Mike was formerly the director of the SBDC office at Long Beach City College. As business owner and entrepreneur himself, he started his career as the owner of a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory location in Manhattan Beach and went on to open a second location in Long Beach in 2001. In 2007, Mike sold the Manhattan Beach store for an above-market offer then invested in several additional locations as a minority shareholder. Mike further expanded his candy empire with venture located in Shoreline Village in Long Beach called Sugar Daddies Sweet Shoppe, based on fill-it yourself candy options.
Mike has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from California State University, Fullerton.
