On Monday, Aug. 31 a Live Town Hall was hosted by the Board of Douglas County Commissioners and your local Chambers of Commerce. Information was shared and questions answered about the Small Business Grant Program to view the video please click here.

County launches $2.5 million Small Business Grant Program to ease COVID-19 Impacts

Small businesses countywide with physical locations and 100 or fewer employees may be eligible for COVID-19 impacts reimbursement grants of up to $10,000, funded through the County’s share of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, distributed through the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA).  The aim of this program is to reimburse local small businesses a portion of the expenses they incurred as they adjusted and adapted to public health restrictions, and continued to serve our community while complying with COVID-19 public health order guidelines.

Douglas County will reimburse eligible small businesses for expenses incurred adapting to public health order guidelines. Applications are now being accepted through Dec. 30, 2020, on a first-come, first-served basis.

How Much Reimbursement is Available?
$10,000 in documentable expenses per qualifying business

Eligible Reimbursements
The grant program will reimburse purchases made for the following items or physical improvements:

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including gloves, masks, other face coverings
• Hand sanitizer and other hand washing equipment
• Physical barriers, shields, and “sneeze guards”
• Temperature screening equipment
• Cleaning and sanitizing supplies and equipment
• COVID-19 testing
• Upgrades to air or filtration systems
• COVID-19 related signage
• Point of sale (POS) terminals or systems, including contactless payment systems
• Touchless entry/exit for physical business location
• Structural or physical alterations to facilitate social distancing such as the addition of outdoor dining areas
• Disposable menus, single-use condiments, and similar items intended to limit contact with shared surfaces
• Other costs associated with PPE equipment or physical improvements made while enacting COVID-19 specific operations plans.

Costs that have been or will be reimbursed from other grant programs are not eligible. Applicants must acknowledge in the application all other grant funding received and how that funding is being used.

Qualifications
Qualifying businesses meet the following criteria:

• A for-profit business that has lost income due to temporary closures or limits on its operations from to Public Health Orders
• Registered with the Secretary of State and in good standing
• A physical location in unincorporated Douglas County or one of its municipalities. Businesses with more than one location in the County may apply for each location.
• Franchise businesses may apply if locally owned and able to demonstrate lack of franchisor support
• 100 or fewer employees
• Current on applicable County taxes. Certificates of Taxes Due are available at https://apps.douglas.co.us/treasurer/treasurerweb/search.jsp?guest=true Instructions for downloading a Certificate of Taxes Due are available here.

Application Process

Click here to Apply for the Grant

Please be prepared to submit the following information at the time of application:

• Proof of payment for costs incurred (i.e. receipts, invoices)
• Certificate of taxes paid for applicable County taxes
• W-9
• A brief explanation as to how your Douglas County located business was impacted by COVID-19 related closures and public health orders.  An example could be: “As a result of the initial closure order for restaurants, my business lost 50% in revenue during the 2nd quarter of 2020.  In order to allow for additional social distancing required by current public  health orders and to increase occupancy, I invested in a new outdoor patio area which cost over $8,500 to build.”

Applicants will receive a confirmation email upon submittal. Applicants may be contacted for follow-up questions by County staff. Notices of award will be provided via phone and/or email. Finance Department staff will work with recipients to arrange for fund disbursement. The final issuance of awards may take up to 30 days.

Questions can be directed to [email protected] or 303-660-7460.

Deadline
Applications will be accepted through Dec. 30, 2020 or until funds are depleted.

Funds will be dispersed on a first-come, first-served basis to qualifying businesses for eligible expenses based on the order the applications are received.