Facebook is giving away $100 million dollars of grant to 30,000 small businesses that have been affected by Coronavirus and COVID-19. The Facebook Small Business Grants Program, this week, is beginning to accept applications from small businesses located in New York City, Seattle, the San Francisco Bay Area, and in other cities. There are specific requirements to be eligible to apply as a small business for one of these grants. I’ll outline all the requirements, and how you apply.
Facebook is partnering with Ureeka to administer the applications. You will need to register with Survey Monkey in order to begin your application.
First, here is the timeline for applications:
- April 18 – New York City and Seattle
- April 20 – San Francisco Bay Area
- April 22 – All other eligible US cities
I took a look at the list of cities, and there are locations outside of the United States that are included. I only looked at the list of United States cities and locations, and there are 28 locations listed. Here is how to check if your small business is eligible to apply, and how to apply:
Check if Your Business is Eligible
To be eligible to apply for one of these grants, your small business must first be located in one of those cities that listed. If your business address is not in one of those cities, then you won’t qualify. But before you even begin to look for a location, see if your small business meets these requirements:
- Be a for-profit company
- Have between 2 and 50 employees
- Have been in business for over a year
- Have experienced challenges from COVID-19
- Be in or near a location where Facebook operates
In my case, even though I am a small business and have an LLC in the State of Texas, my small business won’t even qualify. But, if you appear to meet those guidelines, then go on to the next step:
Check Your Business Location
If you think you qualify, then you need to check the eligible business locations. Here is how to do that.
- Go here to check the list of cities: https://www.facebook.com/business/boost/grants. then, look for the link “See Available Locations”. Click on that black link and you’ll see a popular.
- Select the Country, City/Area, and County. If your business is one of those area, you can go onto the next step if they say that applications are open in your area.
Facebook has an application guide that helps you through the process. Next, you’ll need to gather the necessary documents. You will need one of the following:
- Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN)
- Partnership documents
- Business license
- Proof of incorporation
- Official registration
Once you have one of those documents (or perhaps more than one available), you will need to figure out how you plan to help your community. Facebook isn’t just giving your business this money. Your small business needs to prove to Facebook that you will use the grant funds to make an impact on your business or in your community. You could use the money to pay employees, or you could provide critical services that are needed right now in your community.
Once applications are open in your area, you have two weeks to apply before the application deadline. They will then take up to a few weeks to review the application, ask followup questions, and choose finalists.
Ready to apply? Here’s the application link:
https://apply.facebook.ureeka.biz/prog/facebook_smb_3/
You will need to register with Survey Monkey (click on the Register or Apply link. They will then take you through the application process.
I took a look at the cities in the United States, and there are currently 28 different locations or areas that are listed. There are certain metro areas that are listed, such as New York Metropolitan Area, and they list the 5 different Boroughs. However, locations like Connecticut didn’t make the cut, so they’re not listed. And, Dallas is listed (specifically Dallas County) and Fort Worth (Tarrant County), but you’re out of luck if your business address isn’t in Dallas County, for example. I know, for example, that some businesses in Rockwall County, or Ellis County in Texas serve the Dallas metro area–but wouldn’t be eligible. Nonetheless, if you do qualify, I recommend getting your application in as soon as possible.