Grant Guidelines

The City of Santa Ana is proud to provide the Revive Santa Ana Business Program, which brings technical support seminars and grants to small businesses to address negative economic impacts. The grant program is funded with authorization from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) through U.S. Department of Treasury Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF).

Businesses interested in participating in the Revive Santa Ana Business Program are encouraged to become familiar with the following Grant Guidelines. Application, flyers, and contact information is available at the following site: https://www.santa-ana.org/revive-santa-ana-business-program/

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I. Size of the grant:

The Revive Santa Ana Business Program will provide $1,000 grant(s) for Santa Ana small businesses with 25 or less employees that complete a qualified business seminar. Businesses must be able to provide proof (receipts) that the funds received were spent in accordance with program requirements directly to the CITY portal.

II. Criteria for business seminar participation:

• Santa Ana Business Owners currently operating a business in Santa Ana
• Business must have been negatively impacted by COVID-19
• Business must have a maximum of 25 employees including the owner(s)
• Business must have been compliant and continue to follow all COVID-19 mandates from the City, County and State, such as business closures, mask mandates, and social distancing requirements
• Additional requirements are listed in the registration page for each seminar

III. Business Owner must have been negatively impacted by COVID-19:

• Business Owner(s) must attest in the grant application that their business was negatively impacted by COVID-19 and suffered a substantial loss of revenue due to limited capacity or closure (documentation requirements listed in section IV)

IV. Grant Eligibility Requirements & Required Information/Documents to Qualify for Grant Award:

• Businesses must currently be operational and must have been in business before March 1, 2020 as demonstrated by one of the following documents:

1. 1. Santa Ana Business Licenses; or
   2. Commercial Lease Agreements; or
   3. Business Tax Returns

• Negative business impact of 20% or more decrease of business as demonstrated by one of the following documents:

1. 1. Required and prolonged business closure (e.g., beauty shops, personal services); or
   2. Business Tax Transcripts for 2019 – 2021 (Obtain your Business Tax Transcripts here: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript); or
   3. Sales Records for 2019 – 2021; or
   4. Employment records for 2019 – 2021

• Valid and Active Santa Ana Business License and Certificate of Occupancy
• Unique Entity ID (UIE) - Business must be registered and obtain a Unique Entity ID (UIE) assigned by SAM.gov. Visit the following link to register: https://sam.gov/content/home IMPORTANT: UseSAM.gov ONLY. It is a FREE service. Do NOT pay.
  *If you are asked to pay, STOP and LEAVE the webpage, you are on the wrong website.
• Completion certification of a qualified business seminar (must attend all sessions and may include a business consultation, as described in the seminar registration requirements)
• Business owners may attend multiple seminars (non-duplicate), but will be limited to a maximum of three (3) grants of $1,000 each
• Completion of Revive Santa Ana Business Program Grant Application
• Attestation in the application demonstrating need for funds and planned use of funds
• Valid Business Owner Identification
• City of Santa Ana Vendor Form
• W9 Form
• ACH Form for direct deposit of the grant (business bank account preferred)

Ineligible:

• Businesses with active code enforcement violations or a history of multiple code enforcement violations are not eligible for the program.
• The following types of businesses are not eligible for the program:
  • Non-profits
  • Alcohol/Bars
  • Tobacco/Vaping
  • Firearms
  • Adult
  • Cannabis

Eligible Expenses of Grant:

Businesses may use the grant funding on expenses outlined in the business seminars, including, but not limited to the following:

• City, County, State licenses/permits
• Marketing/advertising
• Inventory
• Commercial kitchen or market space rental in Santa Ana
• Start-up costs for an e-commerce site
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)/cleaning and disinfecting supplies/inventory/services
• Technology (software/licensing/equipment)
• Other expenses as pre-approved by the City of Santa An

Ineligible Expenses:

• Expenses that will be reimbursed by forgivable loans or grants such as the Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), or other sources are not eligible
• Alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, or any other adult related inventory

VI. Disbursement of Funds:

Awardees will receive the approved funding in one disbursement via an Electronic Funds Transfer or Automated Clearing House (EFT or ACH).

VII. Reporting Guidelines:

Businesses are required to report how the funds were spent in accordance with the program requirements via a City provided portal. The business will need to provide the following:

• Certification regarding the use of grant funds will be required
• Documentation of the grant expenses (Canceled checks, bank statements, credit card transactions)

VIII. First Come First Serve Basis:

Applications will be reviewed and approved on a first come first serve basis.

IX. Grant Administration:

The City of Santa Ana Economic Development Division will administer the grant program. The City will accept, review, and approve applications, and issue grant payments.

X. Grant Application & Reporting Assistance – Orange County Inland Empire Small Business Development Center (OCIE SBDC):

The Orange County Small Business Development Center offers free consulting services to businesses. As part of this grant, businesses are strongly encouraged to connect with the OCIE SBDC prior to expending grant funds, to ensure proper tracking of expenditures and assistance with required reporting.

The City will provide the business name and contact information to the OCIE SBDC.

XI. Certifications:

Business Owner will certify to the following:

• Applicant has the authority to apply for this grant on behalf of the business described herein.

• Business Owner agrees to submit post-expense reports via an online portal, as soon as possible after expenditure of all grant funds, but no later than 6 months after receipt of the grant. Funds not expended within 6 months, will need to be repaid to the City.

• Business Owner agrees to provide the City of Santa Ana its employees and representatives additional documentation for audit and reporting purposes and to assess the benefits derived from participating in the program. Such information may include, but is not limited to, profit loss statements, payroll records, and income certifications of new or retained employees. Business authorizes the release of said information to local, State and/or Federal agencies and to City of Santa Ana staff within five years of this date.

• This grant program is supported with funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (“ARPA”) Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (“SLFRF”), to provide monetary support to local governments to respond to, mitigate, and recover from the COVID-19 public health emergency. According to Title 18, Section 1001 of the U.S. Code, it is a felony for any person to knowingly and willingly make false or fraudulent statement to any department of the United States Government. Business understands that any willful misrepresentation on this application could result in a fine and/or imprisonment under provision of the United States Criminal Code U.S.C. Title 18, Section 1001.

• Business Owner agrees that if awarded, the application becomes a binding contract between the Business and Business Owner and the City of Santa Ana. Any violation of the program guidelines will result in the Business and Business Owner promptly repaying the City any amount issued pursuant to this program.

• Business Owner understands that City reserves the right to reject any and all applications.