COVID-19 CDBG Business Grant

This grant is now CLOSED as funding has been depleted.

Overview  

In an effort to assist businesses during the pandemic, the City of Williamsburg, in partnership with York County and the City of Poquoson, applied for and received funding from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) under the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. The initial $1.3 Million of funding was expended by March 2021, and the additional $1.4 Million awarded for Phase 2 was expended by September 2021. 

The three participating localities have been notified of a third infusion of $1.2 Million to the CDBG Small Business Grant fund by DHCD.  Applications for City of Williamsburg businesses reopened on Monday, October 18th, 2021. 

Reimbursable Expenses

• Under Phase 3 of this program, the only reimbursable expense is payment for rent or mortgage during times of negative economic impact due to the pandemic. A business may receive rent/mortgage relief even if it remained open.

Eligibility Requirements

• Must be a for-profit business impacted by Governor Northam's Executive Order 53
• Must have employed fewer than 20 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) employees at some point since March 13th, 2020
• Must be an active business located and licensed in the City of Williamsburg, Virginia. Business must be open for business in some capacity as of the application date.
• Must be in good standing with all local taxes and fees. Currently not in default or non-compliance with any City programs or ordinances.
• May not have already received reimbursement from any other local, state, or federal relief programs for the same items the business is applying for reimbursement for under this program
• Home-based Businesses may apply but must provide a Form 8829 to show what percentage of the home is considered the business (this will be used to calculate reimbursable rent/mortgage amount)
• Non-profit agencies are not eligible for funding.

Grant Amounts

• Each eligible business may receive up to $15,000 total in grant funds (Phase 1 + Phase 2 + Phase 3) for the reimbursement of rent or mortgage expenses.
• If a business received grant funds under Phase 1 and/or Phase 2 of this program, that amount will count towards the $15,000 total (i.e. if a business received the full $5,000 award under Phase 1, it is eligible for an additional $10,000 award now) 
• Businesses that did not apply under Phase 1 or Phase 2 are eligible for a full $15,000 award

Qualification Criteria

• Applicant must have a current (2021) City of Williamsburg business license
• Applicant must have had fewer than 20 Full-Time Employees at some point since March 12th, 2020
• Expenditures must have been made subsequent to the Governor of Virginia's Declaration of Emergency on March 12th, 2020
• Applicant must have been in business prior to March 12th, 2020

Required Documentation

• 2021 City of Williamsburg Business License
• Completed Internal Revenue Service (IRS) W-9 Form
• A current signed lease (must include original lease plus any addendums or modifications) 
• Proof of payment for rent or mortgage. The following are considered adequate proof of payment: 
  • Cancelled checks (this can be obtained from your online bank account, and some banks include copies of cancelled checks in their monthly statements)
  • Screenshot of online bank account transactions (recipient and dollar amount must reflect same recipient and dollar amount in lease) 
  • Mortgage statement that list payment amounts and dates 
  • An account statement from your landlord or property manager 

Grant-Related Questions

If you have any questions related to the COVID-19 CDBG Business Grant, email the Economic Development Department or call 757-220-6104.