City of Corona Entrepreneur
and Business Grants Program
GENERAL INFORMATION:
The City of Corona has appropriated $600,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to support small businesses to respond to the negative economic impacts of COVID-19 and to reinvigorate local economic recovery.
This Grant funding will be allocated throughout the city of Corona, to eligible applicants who meet the qualifications, provide the requested documentation, agree to the terms of funding, and provide receipts for eligible expenses, until the funding is expended.
There are two award programs:
Entrepreneur Grant Program
This program is designed to support very small business operations with four (4) or fewer FTE employees. Eligible grantees must have a physical, home-based, OR commercial operation within the Corona city limits. Funds can be utilized to support business operations.
To be eligible for funding the business must be in operation in the city of Corona. Please note, there are areas of unincorporated Riverside County with a Corona mailing address. If you are unsure whether your business is located within city limits, you can verify your location HERE.
Additional eligibility guidelines:
- Private, for-profit business
- Business must have been operating in Corona on or before January 1, 2022
- Up to date on required licenses and permits
- Proof of home or office/building lease with business address
- Recipients must have been affected by the COVID-19 public health emergency, including a reduction in revenue, layoffs, or voluntary and involuntary forced closures.
There will be (60) sixty, $5,000.00 awards given on a first come, first served basis to eligible applicants.
Small Business Grant Program
This program is designed to support small business operations with (5) five to (25) twenty-five FTE employees. Eligible grantees must have a physical, commercial operation within Corona city limits. (Home-based businesses are not eligible.)
To be eligible for funding the business must be in operation in the city of Corona. Please note, there are areas of unincorporated Riverside County with a Corona mailing address. If you are unsure whether your business is located within city limits, you can verify your location HERE.
Additional eligibility guidelines:
- Private, for-profit business
- Business must have been operating in Corona by January 1, 2022
- Up to date on required licenses and permits
- Proof of lease or grant deed, with businesses address
- Revenue cap of no more than $1 million in annual revenue for 2022 Federal Tax reporting
- Recipients must have been affected by the COVID-19 public health emergency, including a reduction in revenue, layoffs, or voluntary and involuntary forced closures.
There will be (30) thirty, $10,000.00 awards given on a first come, first served basis to eligible applicants.
APPLICATION PERIOD:
Applications will be available as of Monday, November 27th at 9:00am at this website address. The application portal will remain open until Friday, December 8th at 5:00pm.
AWARD PROCESS:
Step One:
- When the portal opens, applicants will be directed to the initial screening questions, which will help determine the proper application to complete and route you to that application.
- Applicants must complete the application in full, including uploading all the requested documentation. This funding is first-come, first-served, so please take the time to ensure that your application and documentation is accurate and complete. Incomplete applications will be moved to the end of the line for verification, if funding is available.
- When you submit your application, an immediate screen notification will pop-up to show that your application has been received.
- You will receive an email within two business days that your application has been received.
Step Two:
- Verification of all applications is thorough and takes time. You will be notified, at the email address you provide in your application, if you have qualified for the award or are disqualified as soon as possible.
- Funding distribution is planned to be completed before December 31, 2023. Approved awardees will receive detailed information about when to expect the funding with their approval email.
If you have questions, please contact CoronaRelief@charitableventuresoc.org or by phone at (714) 597-6630 x111. (Available 8am – 5pm, M-F – except holidays)
USE OF FUNDING:
Awards are based on eligible, reimbursable expenses. Businesses must be able to show proof of how funds were spent to qualify. The applicant must show proof of purchases through an invoice with proof of payment, such as a bank statement or cancelled check (front/back) and will highlight and upload the documents as part of the application process.
The grant award must be used on current or past expenses from January 1, 2022 – current to support business operations in the city of Corona. Examples include employee payroll, inventory and utilities. General operating expenses, such as certification or license fees & PPE equipment are also eligible. Receipts and/or documentation must be uploaded in the application prior to funding approval.
Accepted receipts include, but are not limited to:
- General ledger/expense transaction report
- Payroll register or labor distribution report
- Payroll allocation plan
- Personnel documentation
- Invoices, and receipts (with highlighted expenses)
- Check register
- Bank statements
- Paper receipts from a big box store (with highlighted expenses)
For details on allowable expenses and documentation, please click here.
DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED:
You will be asked to provide the following documentation and information in the application to be considered for funding:
- Signed W-9 form (learn more). A 1099 will be issued by January 31, 2024, to all awardees, in the amount of the total award
- Valid and current city of Corona Business License
- Payroll Register (to prove employee count, unless you have no employees)
- 2022 full Federal Tax Returns (Fully Executed)
- Receipts up to or over $5,000 for expenses under the Entrepreneur Program or receipts up to over $10,000 for expenses under the Small Business Program, as shown under Use of Funding
- Business Bank Routing Information (Bank name, name on account, account type (checking or savings), account number and routing number – to be uploaded through our secure site)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Is grant application information available in other languages?
At the top of the webpage, there is a language selection available in the following languages: English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Hindi and Arabic.
If I have questions that are not included on the website, who can I email?
Please email questions regarding the grant application and process to CoronaRelief@charitableventuresoc.org or call (714) 597-6630 x111. A response will be provided within 1-3 business days.
How will I know if my application was received?
Upon submission, you will see a confirmation page confirming that your application was successfully submitted. You will also receive email confirmation approximately 24-48 hours after submission at the email address listed in your application. Please be sure to double-check your email address before submitting to ensure that you receive further communications. If you don’t receive confirmation, please check your spam folder prior to reaching out.
Please note, depending, on the initial volume of applicants, the system might temporarily show your application as “sending.” Please be patient – our system will accept your submission in the order received.
How do I know if my business is in the city limits of Corona?
To be eligible for funding the business must be in operation in the city of Corona. Please note, there are areas of unincorporated Riverside County with a Corona mailing address. If you are unsure whether your business is located within city limits, you can verify your location HERE.
The application is asking for an Employer Identification Number (EIN), what is this?
An Employer Identification Number (EIN) also known as the Federal Employer Identification Number, or the Federal Tax Identification Number (FTIN) is a nine-digit number assigned by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to business entities operating in the United States for the purposes of identification.
What if I do not have an EIN?
If you do not have an EIN then enter your Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) in the application section below the request for an EIN.
What can I use the grant funds to pay for?
The Grant must be used on expenses dated from January 1, 2022, to the present. All expenses must be to support business operations in the city of Corona. Examples include employee payroll, utilities, and inventory. General operating expenses, such as certification or license fees & PPE equipment are also eligible. Receipts and/or documentation must be uploaded in the application prior to funding approval.
I have no employees can I use the grant to pay my salary?
No, an owner’s salary is not a permissible expense.
How do I determine the number of employees that I have? Some are part-time.
The calculation of full-time equivalent (FTE) is an employee’s scheduled hours divided by the employer’s hours for a full-time workweek. When an employer has a 40-hour workweek, employees who are scheduled to work 40 hours per week are 1.0 FTEs. Employees scheduled to work 20 hours per week are 0.5 FTEs.
What if I don’t have a payroll register/document?
If you have employees, a payroll register must be submitted. Payroll register is a required document for us to determine your FTE.
If you do not have employees, then a signed self-attestation stating you have no employees can be submitted in place of a payroll register.
If you have questions on FTE, please see FAQ question, “How do I determine the number of employees that I have?”
My entrepreneurial business is run at home. Can I use the funds to pay my mortgage?
You are not allowed to submit rent or mortgage invoices/payments.
Will I have to pay taxes on the grant funding I receive?
Yes. Grantees will receive a Form 1099 from Charitable Ventures by January 31, 2024. We cannot provide tax advice and it is recommended that applicants seek financial counsel from an attorney or tax professional prior to applying for this grant, if needed.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
For additional information, please email CoronaRelief@charitableventuresoc.org or call (714) 597-6630 x111. (Available 8am – 5pm, Monday – Friday – except holidays)
Thank you for your interest in the city of Corona Entrepreneur and Small Business Grants Program.
APPLICATION PAGE ENTRANCE:
Please re-read the above eligibility requirements, in its entirety, prior to completing the application. Incomplete applications will be moved to the end of the line for verification, if funding is available.
You must answer the following questions to access the application.
If you qualify from this pre-screening, you will be immediately redirected to either the Entrepreneur Program application page OR the Small Business Program application page where you will find the above requirements again and access to the application.
ABOUT US:
This Relief Program is being administered by Charitable Ventures, a 501c3 nonprofit organization.
