The 2021 Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant (the “Program”) is a small business grant program that has been created by the City of Avon Lake (the “City”) in order to assist small businesses in Avon Lake with the financial hardship imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic over the last two years. The Lorain County Chamber of Commerce (the “Chamber”) will play an administrative and organizational role in this program, and they will receive support from the Ohio Small Business Development Center (SBDC) located at Lorain County Community College. Generally, the amount of the grant per business will range from $1,000 to a maximum of $2,500.

Grant Application

NOTE: Applications are only being accepted for businesses located in the City of Avon Lake.

Avon Lake Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant

• Program Guidelines
• Application

• Additional Information
  • W-9 Form
  • Instructions on completing and saving a fillable form

Applications must be submitted electronically to [email protected].

General Description of the Program

Eligible businesses will be able to receive grant funds from the program in order to assist with operating expenses incurred during 2021. Generally, the amount of the grant per business will range from $1,000 to a maximum of $2,500. The amount of each grant award will be determined by the applicant’s demonstration of need and hardship, as well as the clarity of their request (including quality of supporting documents). In addition, during the administration of the program, the City may consider the amount of funding remaining in the program and/or number of applications submitted when determining the grant amount.

This is a summary of the Grant Information. Read the Program Guidelines for full details.

Eligibility Criteria

A. To be eligible for grant funds under the Program, Avon Lake businesses must meet the following requirements:

1. The business may be a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation (both S and C), professional association, limited liability company, limited partnership or limited liability partnership. If a corporation, professional association, limited liability company, limited partnership or limited liability partnership, the business must be registered with the Ohio Secretary of State to do business in the State of Ohio. If a sole proprietorship, the business shall provide documentation of its existence as a business, including, but not limited to income tax returns for the business, trade name registrations, business banking or credit accounts or such similar documents. If a partnership, the business shall either be registered with the Ohio Secretary of State to do business in the State of Ohio, or, if not registered, shall provide documentation similar to that required for a sole proprietorship.
2. The business must be privately held.
3. The principal place of business for the business must be located within the City of Avon Lake, and must be in a commercial building—home based businesses are not eligible
4. The business can employ a maximum of twenty employees. For purposes of this criteria, “employees” shall mean individuals who regularly work at least 20 hours per week and who are (i) individuals who are employed as employees and provided an IRS Form W-2 at the end of each calendar year, or (ii) individuals who are independently contracted with the business and receive an IRS Form 1099 at the end of each calendar year, and who primarily or exclusively contract with only the business during the year. For purposes of determining whether the business employs the requisite number of individuals, the principal owners of the business do not need to be included in the number of employees if it would cause the business to exceed the maximum number of individuals employed.
5. If the business has been operating in Avon Lake for less than one year as of the date of applying, that business must provide a copy of a mortgage, or a lease for at term of at least two years, in order to demonstrate that the business has made a financial and contractual commitment to their commercial space in Avon Lake.

B. Regardless of its general eligibility above, the business shall NOT be a financial institution that makes loans or issues credit to the public, including, but not limited to, banks, credit unions, payday lenders, or any other similar business

This is a summary of the Eligibility Criteria. Read the Program Guidelines for full details.

Final eligibility and ineligibility determinations and Grant Awards shall be solely at the discretion of the Grant Underwriting Team.