Michigan Small Business Restart Program

Grant Information

More than 11,300 small businesses and nonprofits across Michigan have been awarded $69 million in grants by local economic development organizations as of September 10, 2020 through the Michigan Small Business Restart Grant Program. At least 72,950 jobs have been retained for Michigan workers through the initial grant awards.

View the list of awarded businesses

MEDC will annouce the second round of Restart grants awarded in mid-October. For questions regarding your submitted Restart grant application, please contact the local economic development organization that covers the county in which your business is located.

View the full list of EDO contacts

Selected EDOs were responsible for reviewing applications of small businesses in their region and ultimately determining grant awards through the program. The full list of EDOs administering Michigan Small Business Restart grants and the counties they serve is below.

Of the businesses to receive an award to date, 3,030 reported as minority-owned, 4,365 reported as woman-owned, and 550 reported as veteran-owned, with some businesses selecting multiple categories. At least 30 percent of the funds awarded under the program were required to be provided to women-owned, minority-owned or veteran-owned eligible businesses, and all EDOs are on track to meet, or exceed, this requirement in the awards being made.

Grant Eligibility

Applications were open to businesses and nonprofits with 50 or fewer employees, worldwide, located in Michigan. Businesses had to also demonstrate the following:

Part of an industry or nonprofit that can demonstrate it has been impacted by the COVID-19 emergency
Needs working capital to support payroll expenses, rent, mortgage payments, utility expenses or other similar expenses
Demonstrates an income loss as result of the COVID-19 emergency as determined by the Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF).

Eligible Expenditures

Grants must be used for expenditures made between March 1, 2020 and December 30, 2020 that meet the following criteria:

Necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency with respect to COVID-19 (such as resulting from employment or business interruptions due to COVID-19)
Working capital to support payroll expenses, rent, mortgage payments, utility expenses, costs related to reopening a business or nonprofit, or other use authorized under the CARES Act.

Frequently Asked Questions and Program Guidelines

Please review the following for more information:

Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions - Spanish
Michigan Small Business Restart Program Guidelines
Application Questions
Questions? Inquires regarding your submitted application should be directed to the local EDO that covers the county in which your business is located (see table above). Other inquires should be emailed to the MEDC Service Center. Office hours are 8-5 pm M-F and closed for lunch 12-1 pm. During lunch customers are prompted to leave a message.

Additional 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.

Michigan Agricultural Safety Grant Program

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. For more information, visit: https://www.michiganbusiness.org/agsafety/.