1. HOW DID THIS SMALL BUSINESS RELIEF GRANT PROGRAM COME ABOUT?
The Meridian Township Board called a Special Meeting Friday, December 18, 2020 to discuss the current status of the community related to COVID-19. The Township Board approved the Meridian Economic Development Corporation (EDC) to provide economic support to Meridian Township’s small business community to assist business operations that have been negatively impacted due to the COVID-19 crisis. The Township Board elected to approve the allocation of $500,000 from its discretionary funds to business relief initiatives on Friday, December 18, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Township Board in collaboration with the Meridian EDC subcommittee intends to provide working capital grants to help alleviate the economic distress placed upon the Township’s small businesses.
2. WHAT AMOUNT OF FUNDS WERE REALLOCATED FOR THIS GRANT PROGRAM?
$500,000
3. WHAT AMOUNT IS AVAILABLE FOR INDIVIDUAL APPLICANTS?
Grants of up to $7,000 will be made to awardees.
4. WHAT ARE THE KEY DETERMINANTS OF ELIGIBILITY?
To be eligible, applicants must be a local, small, physical (brick-and-mortar) business within Meridian Township. Applicant businesses cannot be delinquent on any accounts, fees, taxes or assessments owed to Meridian Township.
Additional business eligibility requirements can be found in the Meridian EDC’s Grant Overview.
5. ARE SOLE PROPRIETORS OR HOME-BASED BUSINESSES ELIGIBLE?
Sole proprietors are eligible, adhering to the same eligibility determination requirements noted in the application and the Meridian EDC’s Grant Overview. However, home-based businesses are ineligible.
6. ARE NONPROFITS ELIGIBLE BUSINESSES?
Yes, nonprofits are eligible if they meet all eligibility requirements. Nonprofits still need to answer all business-oriented questions and will be reviewed on the same criteria as for-profit businesses.
7. IF MY BUSINESS HAS MULTIPLE LOCATIONS, DO I NEED TO SUBMIT A SEPARATE APPLICATION FOR EACH?
Yes, every business location requires its own application. The applicant must use company-wide metrics during the process (i.e. total number of employees, financial data, etc.) for eligibility determination and review purposes.
The applicant must specify in the application when prompted which brick-and-mortar business location the requested grant funds will be exclusively deployed.
8. IS MY FRANCHISE-OWNED BUSINESS ELIGIBLE?
Yes, franchises or businesses affiliated with a national chain are eligible.
9. WILL I NEED TO SUBMIT FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS AS PART OF THE APPLICATION?
No, the Meridian EDC is not requiring the applicant to submit financial documents. The applicant must acknowledge and agree to answer all questions truthfully to be eligible for grant funds.
10. WILL THERE BE A DEFINED APPLICATION PERIOD?
Yes, the grant application period for this program will be open Monday, December 21, 2020, through
12:00 pm on Tuesday, January 5, 2021.
11. WHERE WOULD AN INTERESTED SMALL BUSINESS OWNER GO TO APPLY?
The application will be available on Small Business Relief Grant Program page of the Meridian Township website, www.meridian.mi.us/SmallBusinessReliefGrant. Completed applications must be submitted online through the fillable form. If a business owner is unable to complete the application form for any reason, they are encouraged to contact Meridian Township’s Neighborhoods & Economic Development Director Amber Clark for assistance at 517.853.4568, or email clark@meridian.mi.us.
12. HOW EXTENSIVE WILL THE APPLICATION BE?
The purpose of this grant program is to quickly provide financial relief to businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic or related Executive Orders here in Meridian Township. We expect the application will take a typical respondent around 10-15 minutes to complete, with most of the requested information expected to be readily known or accessible to most business owners.
13. WHO CAN I TALK TO ABOUT QUESTIONS, CLARIFICATIONS AND SCORING CRITERIA ON THE APPLICATION?
Applicants are encouraged to review the Meridian EDC’s Grant Overview, Scoring Criteria and this FAQ document. Applicants can also consult with Township Staff by calling 517.853.4568 during normal business hours or by sending an email to clark@meridian.mi.us.
14. WHEN WILL APPLICATIONS BE DUE?
Applications will be due by 12:00 pm on Tuesday, January 5, 2021.
15. HOW WILL ANY CONFLICT OF INTEREST BE ADDRESSED IN THE CONSIDERATION OF GRANT APPLICANTS?
The review committee will acknowledge all actual or perceived conflicts of interest and will not be scoring any business for which a conflict could exist.
16. BOARD MEMBERS OF THE MERIDIAN EDC MAY OWN ELIGIBLE BUSINESSES. HOW ARE YOU REMOVING FAVORITISM AND SELECTION BIAS FROM THE GRANT APPLICANT SELECTION PROCESS?
Meridian EDC members are ineligible to apply for or receive grants under this program.
17. WHEN WILL SUCCESSFUL APPLICANT BUSINESSES BE NOTIFIED AND WHAT IS EXPECTED FROM THEM TO RECEIVE GRANT FUNDS?
We intend to inform successful applicant businesses on Friday, January 8, 2021. Awarded business will need to submit an executed W-9 form, along with a simple grant contract agreement that speaks to fund use and reporting requirements.
18. WHEN WILL GRANT FUNDS BE RECEIVED BY SUCCESSFUL APPLICANT BUSINESSES?
It is our goal to have all funds delivered to grant recipients by close of Township business on January 15, 2021.
