The second round of grants from the Township's Small Business Relief Grant Program was announced on December 18, 2020. The awardees were announced on January 8, 2021.

A total of 105 grant awardees will receive up to $7,000 in funding each. Funds are anticipated to be distributed by January 15, 2021. The quantity and the amount of awards were determined on a case-by-case basis by the review of a Meridian EDC subcommittee. 

• Bread Bites

• Challenges East Lansing

• High Caliber Karting

• Kombat Karting

• Salon 7 Spa

• State of Fitness

• Orthopedic Rehab Specialists

• A Vita Nova

• Breadsmith of Okemos

• Fink Incorporated- Watershed

• Studio C! Okemos

• Launch Trampoline Park Lansing

• Richmond Counselling & Therapy

• Sansu Corp

• Asian Buffet

• Henry's Place

• Michigan Center for Martial Arts

• The Arty Party Studio

• Mir’s Oriental Rugs

• Clarion Pointe

• Buddies Pub & Grill East Lansing

• Yoga State of Mind

• Russell Builders Inc.

• Akagi Sushi

• A Wig & a Prayer

• Buddies Pub & Grill Okemos

• Ozzy Kabob

• Ahlan Restaurant

• Anytime Fitness Haslett

• Yoga Connect Haslett - Haslett Hot Yoga

• Spartan Dance & Fit Center

• Pure Fit LLC- Red Haven

• Chapelure

• Coco's Off the Rack

• Maru Sushi & Grill Okemos

• Wheat Jewelers

• Nokomis Cultural Heritage Center

• PD Insurance Agency

• School of Rock East Lansing

• Eagle Fit LLC

• TD Coney Grill LLC

• Blue Gill Grill

• T&A Treats

• Pizza House East Lansing

• Uptown Sun Company

• Mr. R's Driving School

• ASD Enterprise

• Kellie’s Consignments

• Fernando's Cafe

• Meridian Historical Village

• The Mayfair

• The Good Life Shaving Co.

• Blondie’s Barn

• Auntie Anne's Okemos

• Eye Level of Okemos

• 102 Pho & Bang MI

• Art Unlimited

• Okemos Barber Shop

• Pure Skincare & Acne Spa

• Coral Gables Restaurant

• LotusVoice Integrative Therapies

• Groovy Donuts East Lansing

• Divine Life Assisted Living #12

• Divine Life Assisted Living #3

• Minor Threads "Once Upon a Child"

• National Career Group

• House of Soles

• Cheezy D's Deli and Dogs

• Carousel Consignments

• Mitten State Malt

• Becky Beauchine Kulka Diamonds & Fine Jewelry

• Lucky House Restaurant

• Taste of Thai

• Essex Hair Designs

• Doggy Daycare & Spa Okemos

• Okemos Fitness

• Orange Theory Fitness

• Pure Barre Okemos

• Dusty's Cellar

• Clare Massage Therapy

• Hannah Market & Bakery

• Grand Traverse Pie Co. of Okemos

• TinkrLAB Okemos

• Remedi Spa Wellness

• Mahabir Wellness

• Ann’s School of Dance

• All Spice Persis Indian Grill

• The Ticket Machine

• Renewed Spirit

• City Limits East Lansing

• Spagnuolo's Restaurant

• Paradise Biryani Pointe Indian Cuisine

• Point Laundry

• Okemos Marathon Gas Station

• Petite Beauty Boutique

• Suburban Ice Center East Lansing

• Victory Martial Arts

• Koala Bakery Café

• Zhen Ramen & Grille

• Meridian Eye Care

• Blush Hair Design

• President Tuxedo

• Royal Pot

• Chrysalis Reflexology Hypnosis & Enrichment Center

• Bridges IN Communication LLC

• A Vita Nova

• Lotus Beauty Lounge

• Akagi Sushi

• Lotus Voice Integrative Therapies

• The Art & Etiquette of Driving (ASD Enterprise, LLC)

• Mayfair Bar

• Asian Buffet of Okemos

• Mirs Rugs

• BlueGill Grill

• Nokomis Cultural Center

• Bread Bites

• Petite Beauty Boutique

• Buddies Pub & Grill

• Psychiatric Associates

• Carousel Consignments

• Russell Builders

• Center for Yoga, Movement and Massage

• Salon7 & Spa

• Chapelure

• Spagnuolos

• The Children’s Enrichment Center

• Spartan Dance & Fit Center

• Classic Travel

• State of Fitness

• Cocos Off The Rack

• Taste of Thai

• Eye Level Okemos (Guru Academic Center)

• Christine A. Tenaglia, DDS

• Fernando’s Restaurant

• That’s Great Frozen Creations

• Frames Unlimited of Lansing

• The Good Life Shaving Company

• Hannah’s Koney Island (BVC LLC)

• Tinkr Lab

• Haslett Hot Yoga

• TShirt Goods

• Henry’s Place

• Uptown Sun Company

• High Caliber Karting

• Vietnamese Noodle (102 Pho & Banh, MI)

• Indian Hills Golf

• Watershed Tavern & Grill 

The Meridian EDC and Township Board have allocated $500,000 for approximately 70 businesses to receive up to $7,000 in funding each. The quantity and the amount of these awards will be determined on a case-by-case basis by the review of a Meridian EDC subcommittee.  The grant program funding comes exclusively from the Meridian Redevelopment fund, which should be reimbursed by CARES Act dollars designated to Meridian Township. The first round of grants from the Township's Small Business Relief Grant Program was distributed in June 2020. A total of 42 grant awardees received $4,000 each. 

Grants will be awarded to businesses that meet the eligibility requirements. The below are the details of how the application review committee will evaluate your request for funding.  

COMMUNITY IMPACT/HISTORY IN MERIDIAN:  
Small businesses are integral to the economy in a myriad of ways, such as how they engage with the community through philanthropy, events, programming and more. Does your business have a long history in Meridian Township? Does the business engage with local organizations or Township events? Does the business engage with community organizations like the Rotary Club or Lions Club? Is the business beloved by its community with a proven track record? How does the community relate to the brand of the business? Does the business have partnerships with other local businesses or organizations that would be affected by the business closing or declaring bankruptcy? These are elements the review committee will take into consideration. 

UNIQUENESS OF PRODUCT/SERVICE/OFFERING:  
Many communities have businesses that uniquely contribute to the community and are likely difficult to replace, impacting the community’s character. Is the business the Township’s only specialty restaurant or grocery store? What differentiates this business from others and its competitors?

OWNERSHIP RESIDENCY:  
Does most of the ownership of the business live in Meridian Township? This is not a requirement of the grant application and will not negate your ability to be eligible for funding. 

REVIEW PROCESS: 

COMMITTEE 
A review committee consisting of the Chair of the Meridian EDC, a member of the Meridian Township Board of Trustees, the Chair of the Meridian Township Downtown Development Authority, the Township Manager and the Township Economic Development Director, will be responsible for application review and scoring. 

The committee will review, consider and score all submitted applications. The committee will also make a funding amount determination on a case-by-case basis. Grants will be awarded up to $7,000 in funding assistance.  The Meridian EDC will meet on January 6, 2021, to approve grant awardees.

NEXT STEPS FOR AWARDED BUSINESSES 
Awarded businesses will be required to submit a W-9 form within 24 hours of grant award acknowledgement to expedite fund processing. 

Awarded businesses will also be required to sign a simple grant agreement that specifies six months of simple reporting requirements and eligible use of funds.

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. 

All businesses seeking funds must meet all the following requirements:

1.  The business is in the jurisdictional boundaries of Meridian Township..

2.  The business is not delinquent on any accounts, fees, taxes, or assessments owed to Meridian Township. 

3.  The business has a physical (brick-and-mortar) location.

The Meridian Township Board unanimously 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. Through its Small Business Relief Grant Program, the Meridian Township Board is providing grant opportunities to small businesses affected by the virus. The Meridian Township Small Business Relief Grant Program was formally established to assist our small business owners with the negative impacts related to COVID-19.