The grant information is posted on the Bus Oregon site. It is a first come first serve basis! Don’t WAIT to apply!

Here is a link to the webpage to apply for a Business Oregon Grant: https://www.oregon4biz.com/Coronavirus-Information/ESBA/. The applications are in three languages: (English: https://development.oregon4biz.com/acton/fs/blocks/showLandingPage/a/14786/p/p-005a/t/page/fm/0), (Spanish file:///C:/Users/president/Downloads/OR-C19-Emergency-Bus-Grant-R5-App-Spanish.pdf), (Vietnamese file:///C:/Users/president/Downloads/OR-C19-Emergency-Bus-Grant-R5-App-Vietnamese.pdf).

Here are the qualifications:

This application is for a business that meets all of the following eligibility requirements and only one application may be made per business and the applicant must be an owner operator:

  • The business 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.
  • The businesses has:
    • 1 to 25 FTE employees and has accepted between $100,000 and $1,000,000 in federal business assistance through the SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Advance (EIDLA) programs, or
    • 26 to 100 FTE employees and has accepted between $0 and $1,000,000 of federal business assistance through the SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Advance (EIDLA) programs.
  • The business was adversely affected in either one of the following two ways:
    • For-profit and non-profit (limited to 501(c)(3) corporations) businesses that were prohibited from operation as directed by Executive Order 20-12.
    • For-profit and non-profit (limited to 501(c)(3) corporations) businesses that can demonstrate a one-month decline in sales of 25% or more, incurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, between March 1, 2020, and August 31, 2020, as compared against the same period of time in 2019.
  • The business:
    • is open and has remined open from March 1, 2020, to present, or
    • reopened and remains open after being closed due to Governor’s Executive Order 20-12, or
    • is closed due to the 2020 wildfires but the business intends to reopen and
      • was open and had remained open from March 1, 2020, until the wildfires, or
      • reopened for business after being closed due to the Governor’s Executive Order 20-12

Ineligible businesses:

The following businesses are ineligible to apply for or receive funding under the Program:

  • Passive real estate holding companies, entities holding passive investments, and entities with passive ownership.
  • Non-profit entities that do not have federal 501(c)(3) status.
  • Businesses that experience a decline in revenues for reasons other than those caused by the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., seasonal or cyclical business cycles).
  • Businesses that are delinquent on federal, state, or local taxes that were due on or before the date of application.
  • Businesses that do not comply with all federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
  • Businesses that have already received grant funds through the Statewide Business and Cultural Support Program. The Emergency Board of the Oregon Legislature established this program in July 2020, to support cultural venues and organizations. Eligible recipients for this program include, but are not limited to, cultural institutions, children’s museums, county fairgrounds, cultural entities within federally recognized Indian Tribes based in Oregon, and festivals and community event organizations.
  • Businesses that have already received, or were eligible for, grant funds through previous rounds of this state of Oregon COVID-19 Emergency Business Assistance Program administered by Oregon’s cities, counties, economic development districts, and community development financial institutions. This includes all businesses with 25 or fewer employees that accepted less than $100,000 in any form of federal CARES funding.
  • Businesses that have accepted more than $1,000,000 of federal CARES funding from the SBA PPP, EIDL, and EIDLA programs, as set forth by this program in this application.
  • Businesses with more than 100 FTE employees.
  • Businesses that have closed and do not intend to reopen.
  • Businesses that do not otherwise meet the eligibility requirements set forth above.

Grant Amounts:

Awards to eligible businesses will be made as a grant. The amount of the grant will be based upon a calculation for Full Time Equivalent (FTE) employment at a rate of $2,000 per FTE as calculated in Section 2 of this application:

  • Businesses with 2 or fewer FTE—$5,000
  • Businesses with 3 or more FTE—$2,000 per FTE (cap of $200,000)

FTE will be only be calculated based on hours reported to the Oregon Employment Department (OED) on Form 132 for Q4 2019, Q1 2020, Q2 2020, or Q3 2020. Hired consultants, independent contractors, and indirect employees (e.g., employees provided by a staffing company) will not be considered as employees of the applicant for this program.

Businesses not required—or that have elected not—to file OED Form 132 with the Oregon Employment Department are still eligible for this program, but will have a maximum award of $5,000.

Awards by geographic area:

Due to timing constraints associated with the funding for this program, all applications will be processed on a first-come first-served basis in the order received and by geographic region as detailed below. The basis for considering an application will be based on the time and date that applications are received and accepted by Business Oregon. No exceptions will be made.

To disburse funds equitably across the state, to the extent possible, Business Oregon will cap awards within the following regions:

  • Central Region—15%
    • Crook, Deschutes, Hood, Jefferson, Sherman, and Wasco counties
  • Coastal Region—15%
    • Clatsop, Columbia, Coos, Curry, Lincoln, and Tillamook counties
  • Eastern Oregon Region—15%
    • Baker, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Malheur, Morrow, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, and Wheeler counties
  • Portland Metro Region—20%
    • Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties
  • Southern Oregon Region—15%
    • Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath, and Lake counties
  • Valley Region—20%
    • Benton, Lane, Linn, Marion, Polk, and Yamhill counties