Carroll Rebound II

Carroll Rebound II

ATTENTION!

The application portal is now closed. We have received more applications than appropriated funding. Please sign up on our homepage for emails for any future grant opportunities.

Maryland Best Practices for Retail Businesses

Note: All restaurants, wineries, breweries, distilleries and food trucks should apply under the “restaurant” application. You cannot receive both a retail and restaurant grant.

ELIGIBILTY:

• For-profit businesses located in a commercial/industrial zone
• Independently-owned retail & service providing businesses
• Previous Carroll Rebound grantees

INELIGIBLE BUSINESSES:

• Businesses with 50 or more FTE employees
• Home-based businesses
• Businesses that have been granted from Carroll Rebound II
• Businesses not in a commercial/industrial zone (regardless if the business has been granted Zoning approval to operate in a zone other than commercial/industrial)
• Businesses not currently open/operating
• National/regional chains and publicly traded companies
• Franchises

BUSINESS QUALIFICATIONS:

Businesses which apply for the grant program:

• Must have been established prior to March 1, 2020
• Be a for-profit entity in good standing with the State of Maryland and Carroll County and registered with the state, if required to do so by law. Visit https://dat.maryland.gov/businesses/Pages/Internet-Certificate-of-Status.aspx to obtain certificate of status (Certificate of Good Standing may be provided via screenshot or printed from the webpage – no need to pay for official certificate)
• Must be current on all taxes owed to Carroll County and/or the State of Maryland
• Business must be located in commercial/industrial zoned district
• Must verify full-time employment; full time employees* are counted as working 30+ hours per week

(* – The calculation of full-time equivalent (FTE) is an employee’s scheduled hours divided by the employer’s hours for a full-time workweek. For example, an employer has a 30-hour workweek, employees who are scheduled to work 30+ hours per week are 1.0 FTE. Employees scheduled to work 15 hours per week are 0.5 FTE.)

GRANT AWARDS:

• Sole Proprietors/Businesses with five (5) or less full-time equivalent employees, $3,000**
• Businesses with between six (6) and fifty (50) full-time equivalent employees, $5,000**

(** – Business must be located in a commercial/industrial zoned district.)

Businesses who have received previous local, state or federal COVID-19 financial support are eligible to apply for the Carroll Rebound II grant. The application and all documentation must be submitted online. Applications will be accepted beginning November 23, 2020 at Noon.

Grants will be awarded first-come, first-served until funding is exhausted.

ELIGIBLE FUND USES include the following:

• Working capital (rent/mortgage)
• Utilities
• Information technology upgrades and e-commerce programs
• Marketing
• Employee training
• Commercial cleaning / sanitation services
• Professional services
• Vehicle or equipment expenses (vehicle must be used for business purposes only)
• Other COVID-19 or health-related expenses (Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), supplies, plexiglass shields, masks, etc.)

INELIGIBLE FUND USES include the following:

• Payroll & wages
• Expenses not related to COVID-19 pandemic impacts

NOTE: The grant may be used as a reimbursement for eligible past expenses made after March 1, 2020 that meet requirements. Documentation of expenses and paid invoices must be kept by the grantee with their grant agreement for a period of five (5) years.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION:

• Fully completed application
• MdSDAT Certificate of Good Standing. The business must be in good standing with the State of Maryland and Carroll County, and registered with the state, if required to do so by law, as of March 1, 2020. (Certificate of Good Standing may be provided via screenshot or printed from the webpage – no need to pay for official certificate) See https://dat.maryland.gov/businesses/Pages/Internet-Certificate-of-Status.aspx
• 2020 Payroll reports OR W2 forms to support employment requirement (if not previously provided in a Carroll Rebound application)

UPON GRANT AWARD:

Businesses must:

• Enter into a formal grant agreement with Carroll County to use funds as approved by December 30, 2020
• Submit a W-9 for tax reporting (if not previously provided in a Carroll Rebound grant)
• Retain grant documentation on spending for five (5) years and agree to a county, state or federal audit if required
• Grant agreements that are not returned to the Department within five (5) business days will be considered null and void and the applicant will forfeit the award. If an applicant requires additional time to return the agreement, a request must be made in writing within the five (5) business day timeline.

TO APPLY:

Submit a COMPLETE AND ACCURATE application with all required supporting documentation below.  It is imperative that all applicants ensure the accuracy of their legal name and address when completing and signing their application, and subsequent forms. Failure to submit a complete and accurate application may prevent you from receiving a grant award. Incomplete and inaccurate applications will lose their place in the application queue.

GRANT APPLICATION REVIEW:

Applicants will receive an email notification confirming receipt of their application. If you do not receive this message your application has not been sent or received.

If an incomplete application is received, the application will lose it’s spot in the application queue.

If you need assistance with assessing your eligibility or compiling the needed documents for your application, we advise that you consult with your financial or legal advisers. Email questions to info@carrollbiz.org.

If you do not meet Carroll Rebound II grant eligibility, please check the Maryland Relief Wizard for other potential funding opportunities. Also, the Carroll County Health Department is soliciting interested applicants who meet the criteria for reimbursement under the CARES Act, CRF Fund for limited Personal Protective Equipment supplies.

See https://www.carrollcountymd.gov/media/11759/specifications-cares-act-crf.pdf

The application does not allow you to save and return to it later. Make sure you have all documents that need to be uploaded ready before starting the application.