Funding Available for Second Round of Business Relief Grants

On Monday, July 20 the City of Milwaukie will open a second round of small business grants for the local business community. The city received $35,000 from the Business Oregon COVID-19 Emergency Business Assistance Matching Fund, as well as $1,000 donated by NW Natural, for a total of $36,000 available in grant funding. The application period is open until Friday, July 24 at 5 p.m.

At 9 a.m. on Monday, July 20, the online application will be available at www.milwaukieoregon.gov/economicdevelopment/business-relief-fund. Eligibility requirements for grant funding are set by Business Oregon.

“The coronavirus pandemic is causing tremendous impacts to Milwaukie’s businesses and finding ways to support them is one of our priorities,” said Ann Ober, city manager. “Combined with the resources offered at both the federal and state levels, we hope these small grants will help offset some of the effects business owners are forced to bear.”

Eligible businesses include:

• Businesses with a current Milwaukie business license
• Businesses 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 with 10 or fewer employees
• Businesses adversely affected in either one of the following ways:
  • For-profit and non-profit (501(c)(3) corporations, only) businesses that were prohibited from operation as directed by Executive Order 20-12
  • For-profit businesses that can demonstrate a one-month decline in sales greater than 50% in the month of March 2020 or April 2020, as compared against sales in the month of January or February 2020; or
  • Those non-profit businesses (limited to 501(c)(3) corporations) that can demonstrate a decline in revenue greater than 50% across the months of March 2020 and April 2020 as compared against the same period of time in 2019. 
• Businesses that have been unable to access federal CARES Act funds including:
  • The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) 
  • Small Business Administrations’ (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loan Emergency Advance program (EIDL)
  • Other federal programs to date for emergency pandemic funding  

The following businesses are ineligible to receive grant funding: 

• Passive real estate holding companies and other entities holding passive investments 
• Non-profit entities that do not have federal 501(c)(3) status 
• Businesses that are delinquent on federal, state or local taxes that were due before April 1, 2020 
• Businesses that do not comply with all federal, state and local laws and regulations. 
• Business that already received funds through this State of Oregon COVID-19 Emergency Business Grant program 
• Businesses that do not otherwise meet the eligibility requirements set forth above.

​Awards are based on the number of employees before the COVID-19 pandemic or based on the businesses documented amount of fixed operating expenses.

• 1-5 employees
  • $2,500, or
  • 60-day fixed expenses up to a maximum of $5,000
• 6-10 employees
  • $5,000, or
  • 60-day fixed expenses up to a maximum of $10,000

The city anticipates notifying grant recipients in early August with funding available in late August. For more information, email econdev@milwaukieoregon.gov.

In April 2020, the City of Milwaukie awarded $132,000 in grants to 47 businesses through the first round of the Milwaukie Business Relief Fund.