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Stanwood SOARING Grant Program
About
The Stanwood SOARING Grant Program is made possible by funding provided through a Snohomish County Cities Partnership
A total of $2.5 million will be divided amongst all eligible Snohomish County city programs. The allocation will be determined on a population basis. If a city’s unfunded need is less than their allocation, the remaining allocation will be distributed to the other city programs on the same population basis.
Eligible applicants:
- Must be a Stanwood, Washington Business located within the City of Stanwood
º Have been a going concern for at least six months prior to March 23, 2020
º Provide a registered UBI Number and Stanwood Business License in good
standing - Have their business listed in the Discover Stanwood Camano PLACES business directory on www.discoverstanwoodcamano.com. Signing up is easy- SEE HOW.
- Have 15 or fewer employees (including the business owner of 51% ownership)
- Certify at least a 25% reduction in revenue attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Priority will be given to restaurants, retail, and other service businesses and non-profits who have a commercial address (home-based businesses not eligible).
- Eligible expenses include rent, utilities, inventory and equipment, PPE supplies, and preparing the business for re-opening
The application period will be open from November 30, 2020, through 5 p.m. PDT on December 7, 2020. Screening and award of grants to be completed by December 31, 2020.
COVID-19 is causing a catastrophic economic impact on Stanwood’s small business community. The Stanwood SOARING Small Business Grant Program is a positive step, but it may not provide enough funding for every injured business to receive a grant, nor will it fix all the damage caused to those businesses that receive a grant. Unfortunately, many businesses that qualify and are deserving may not receive a Stanwood SOARING grant. Other small business funding opportunities are available through the State of Washington or SBA.
Application process overview
-
Jennifer Ferguson
City Administrator
-
Krista Hintz
Assistant to the Administrator
- Must be a Stanwood, Washington Business located within the City of Stanwood
º Have been a going concern for at least six months prior to March 23, 2020
º Provide a registered UBI Number and Stanwood Business License in good
standing - Have their business listed in the Discover Stanwood Camano PLACES business directory on www.discoverstanwoodcamano.com. Signing up is easy- SEE HOW
- Have 15 or fewer employees (including the business owner of 51% ownership)
- Certify at least a 25% reduction in revenue attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic
Priority will be given to restaurants, retail, and other service businesses and non-profits who have a commercial address (home-based businesses not eligible).
The application form is relatively brief but requires some pre-work by gathering and preparing information. We suggest doing the following before you begin working on the application:
Tip: we suggest working in a word processing document so you can copy and paste your answers into the application.
- Write a short description of your business
- Write a short paragraph (3-5 sentences) describing COVID-19’s adverse economic impact on your business
- Prepare a list of qualifying expenses that will be submitted for reimbursement if awarded a grant. These include:
- Wages
- Lease/mortgage
- Utilities
- Debt payments
- Insurance
- Cost of goods/Inventory
- Supplies
- Equipment
- Expenses must occur between March 23, 2020, and November 30, 2020.
- Note: if you’re awarded a grant, you will be required to provide documentation.
- Gather details of employment and changes caused by COVID-19
- Be ready to compare the loss of revenue Jan 1, Oct 1, 2019, to Jan 1, Oct 1, 2020
- Gather current analytics for any of the following that applies to your business:
- Facebook followers
- Instagram followers
- Facebook business rating
- Yelp rating
- Google rating
- Trip Advisor Rating
- Write a brief 3 to 5 sentence overview of your COVID marketing strategies for reopening
- Prepare financial documents for upload showing COVID-19’s impact on your business
- Documents selected should clearly show COVID-19’s impact on your business
- Suggestions include year-to-date (YTD) profit & loss statements compared to 2019, revenue statements comparing 2020 to previous years, and Balance sheets.
- Prepare your business recovery plan for upload which should include:
- Your action steps taken to date
- Your planned steps for the future including staffing
- PPE Needs
- Your plan if your business does receive a Stanwood SOARING grant, as well as if it does not.
Applications are due by 5:00 pm, December 7, 2020.
The application period will be open from November 30, 2020, through 5 p.m. PDT on December 7, 2020. Screening and award of grants to be completed by December 31, 2020.
Q: What do I do if I have a question?
A: We’re here to help! Send an email to Jennifer.Ferguson@ci.stanwood.wa.us
Q: What small businesses are eligible for a Stanwood CARES business grant?
A: Eligibility criteria for the Stanwood SOARING Small Business Grant Program balances CRF funding guidelines and City of Stanwood business retention program goals. In order to be eligible:
- Must be a Stanwood, Washington Business located within the City of Stanwood
º Have been a going concern for at least six months prior to March 23, 2020
º Provide a registered UBI Number and Stanwood Business License in good standing - Have their business listed in the Discover Stanwood Camano PLACES business directory on www.discoverstanwoodcamano.com
- Have 15 or fewer employees (including the business owner of 51% ownership)
- Certify at least a 25% reduction in revenue attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic
Priority will be given to restaurants, retail, and other service businesses and non-profits who have a commercial address (home-based businesses not eligible).
Q: What expenses are eligible for grant reimbursement?
A: Eligible expenses include rent, utilities, inventory and equipment, PPE supplies, and preparing the business for re-opening
Q: If a small business received funding through ROUND 1 of the Stanwood SOARING Business Grant Program, or Snohomish County CARES Act, are they still eligible for the Snohomish County-Cities Partnership Grant Program- Stanwood SOARING Round 2?
A: No. In an effort to help all affected small businesses in our community, funds will be made available to businesses that did not receive city or county funds in round 1. In addition, there can be no doubling up from any other federal source. In other words, no “double-dipping.”
Q: Are bars, tattoo businesses, and entertainment venues eligible?
A: Yes, if they meet the eligibility requirements listed above.
Q: Will every eligible small business that applies get a grant?
A: COVID-19 is causing a catastrophic economic impact on Stanwood’s small business community. The Stanwood SOARING Small Business Grant Program is a positive step, but it may not provide enough funding for every injured business to receive a grant, nor will it fix all the damage caused to those businesses that receive a grant. Unfortunately, many businesses that qualify and are deserving may not receive a Stanwood SOARING grant. Other small business funding opportunities are available through the State of Washington or SBA.
Q: Will Stanwood SOARING be awarded on a first-come, first-awarded basis?
A: No. The application period will be open from November 30, 2020, through 5 p.m. PDT on December 7, 2020. Screening and award of grants to be completed by December 31, 2020.
Q: What is the application trying to identify?
A: Our goal is that each Stanwood SOARING grant provides a surge of resources to help a Stanwood business emerge from this difficult time by retaining or creating jobs. The application process is designed to identify:
- Proven businesses that COVID-19 clearly injured
- Businesses that will provide needed jobs
- Businesses proactively working toward recovery