In response to the economic impact of COVID-19, the State of Michigan has allocated $100 million of CARES Act funding to implement the Michigan Small Business Restart Program to support the needs of Michigan Businesses directly impacted by COVID-19.
In an effort to continue to support small businesses, the Michigan Small Business Restart Program will provide funding to local economic development organizations (EDOs) who will provide grants to eligible small businesses that have been negatively impacted by COVID-19 and need working capital to support payroll expenses, rent, mortgage payments, utility expenses or other similar expenses. The partnering EDOs are listed below and cover all 83 counties in Michigan.
Grant Applications closed as of August 5, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. For questions regarding your submitted application, please contact the local economic development organization that covers the county in which your business is located (see table below).
Businesses and nonprofits with 50 or fewer employees, worldwide, located in Michigan. Businesses must also demonstrate the following:
Additionally, at least 30 percent of the funds awarded under this program will be provided to women-owned, minority-owned or veteran-owned eligible businesses. The MEDC anticipates that more than 5,000 businesses across the state will benefit from this program.
UPDATE: Pending the effective date of Michigan legislation changing PA 123 of 2020, eligibility requirements for the Michigan Small Business Restart Program have been amended to allow for recipients of the Michigan Small Business Relief Program grants to be eligible for Restart grant dollars. The combined total of both grants may not be in excess of $20,000. More details, including possible extension of application deadline, will be available at the time HB 5265 is signed into law.
Partnering Local Economic Development Organizations
The Michigan Strategic Fund approved the distribution of grant funding across 15 local or nonprofit economic development organizations (EDOs) covering all 83 counties in the state. Participating EDOs are listed below.
Applications are now closed. For questions regarding your submitted application, please contact the local economic development organization that covers the county in which your business is located (see table above).
Grants must be used for expenditures made between March 1, 2020 and December 30, 2020 that meet the following criteria:
Please review the following for more information:
The Michigan Small Business Restart Program is modeled after the Michigan Small Business Relief Program, approved on March 19 by the Michigan Strategic Fund to support small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
Under the Michigan Small Business Relief grant program, local EDOs selected more than 2,700 businesses across the state covering all 83 counties that received grant support expected to retain approximately 11,000 jobs. To date, more than 130 small business loans totaling more than $8 million have also been approved.
The Michigan Strategic Fund also approved the $15 million Michigan Agricultural Safety Grant Program to support the needs of Michigan’s agricultural processors and farms. The program supports the implementation of COVID-19 monitoring and mitigation strategies to protect agricultural employees and the state’s overall food production industry. Applications for this grant will open on July 15, 2020. For more information, visit: https://www.michiganbusiness.org/agsafety/.
