Hillsborough County Offering Business Grants for Rebuilding After Civil Unrest

June 3, 2020

Hillsborough County, Fla. (June 3, 2020) – A new grants program from Hillsborough County will help small businesses recover from damage incurred during the recent civil unrest in the community. Already experiencing challenges from the global pandemic and unprecedented unemployment, many businesses were damaged, looted and, in some cases, destroyed in Tampa’s Innovation District and beyond.

Available funds will be awarded to qualifying applicants to reimburse approved expenses in an amount up to $50,000 and do not require a match. Business owners will be able to apply for the grants online in the coming days. In the meantime, business owners can connect with the Entrepreneur Collaborative Center at (813) 204-9267 to begin discussions with a business consultant who can put them in touch with the right resources.

Expenses must be incurred on or after May 30, 2020, and must be directly related to repairing, restocking, and reopening a business that was damaged by civil unrest. Eligible expenses may include damaged and stolen inventory replacement (verified by police report), physical repairs, signage, painting, etc., and must be actual cash expenses. In-kind services are not eligible for reimbursement.

Approved applicants will be required to attest that the expenses being reimbursed are not already paid, or expected to be paid, by insurance.
Eligible businesses:

• Must be a privately-held small business or sole proprietor located in Hillsborough County (no publicly-traded businesses)
• Must have less than 25 full-time employees or equivalent FTEs during the most recent pay period prior to May 29, 2020
• Must have suffered damage due to civil unrest during the weekend of May 30, 2020, as evidenced by official police report or other similar official, third-party documentation such as insurance claims
• May be either for-profit or non-profit entities
• Must be reopened for business at the time of reimbursement
• Must have been in operation since before January 1, 2020
• Must be without any outstanding financial obligation to Hillsborough County and/or any form of court judgement or order against the applicant in favor of Hillsborough County

###