COVID IMPACT GRANTS

The City of San Antonio Small Business COVID Impact Grants Program will provide financial support in the form of grants to micro and small business owners who continue to be impacted by the pandemic to strengthen the San Antonio small business community. The program, funded by the City of San Antonio and administered by LiftFund, has dedicated $17,000,000 Million in funding to support for-profit small businesses with grants up to $35,000. An additional $10,000 construction impact supplement is available for those who qualify.

All applicants, regardless of the outcome of the grant application, may receive additional guidance and resources from one of the six community partners shown on the Partners page

ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
Monday, August 1 at 10:00 AM through Monday, August 22 at 5:00 PM Central Standard Time
Below you will find more details about this program, including eligibility, documents required, scoring methodology and timeline.

Grant Awards

The grants will range from $15,000 to $35,000 to eligible small, for-profit businesses. Business located in areas affected by these construction projects may be eligible for an additional $10,000. 

Maximum grant amount is based on reduction in gross sales between 2019 and 2021.

The funds must be used for business-related expenses, including payroll, working capital, business rent, inventory, supplies, equipment, and other operating costs.

THE GRANT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE REPAID

REDUCTION IN GROSS SALES 2019-2021
Maximum Grant Amount
20% - 29.9%
$15,000
30 - 39.9%
$25,000
40+ %
$35,000

The following limitations apply:

  • Applicants are eligible to receive only one grant award
  • Only one grant may be awarded per business with more than one location
  • Limited to one grant per physical address within City of San Antonio

To be eligible for this program, businesses must:

  • Conduct business activities categorized as one of these NAICS codes. Click here to see the list. 
  • Gross sales in both 2020 and 2021 must be less than gross sales in 2019. Gross sales are based on Line 1 of Schedule C or Line 1a of 1120, 1120S or 1065.
  • 2021 gross sales must be at least 20% lower in 2021 than in 2019.
  • Operating prior to January 1, 2020 with demonstrated revenue in 2019. “Operational” is defined as a positive amount of gross receipts or sales on the 2019 tax return (Line 1 of Schedule C or Line 1a of 1120, 1120S or 1065) 
  • Be currently in operation and not have filed for bankruptcy at time of application 
  • Be located within San Antonio city limits and remain for one year from date of grant award. To check if your business address is located within the city, click here.
  • Not be in the following categories: non-profits, gambling/gaming businesses; franchisors; sexually oriented businesses; payday & auto loan providers; liquor stores and businesses in which a City employee or officer has a financial interest, as defined in Sec. 2-53 of the City’s Ethics Code
  • Not have applied for the ARPA 4 Arts program
  • Applicant must be authorized representative of business
  • Current Driver’s license or government-issued photo ID
  • Proof of business registration with Bexar County or TX Secretary of State
  • 1st quarter 2022 Form 941, 1st quarter 2022 payroll report or 1st quarter 2022 check copies to verify number of employees
  • Business utility bill (water, gas, electric). Home based businesses may provide a home utility bill. 
  • 2019, 2020, 2021 business tax return. Acceptable return formats are Schedule Cs, 1120, 1120S and 1065. If 2021 business return has not been filed, other documents, such as a profit and loss statement may be requested. Applicants without a business tax return for 2019 and 2020 are not eligible. 
  • DD 214 proof of military discharge (veterans only)

Grant funds will not be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications will be assessed and scored based on the five components below. The maximum score is 115.  Applications with the highest scores will be reviewed, approved, notified and funded first (if eligible). 

Reduction in Gross Revenue 2019 to 2021 Points
40% or Greater 30 
30% – 39.9% 20 
20% – 29.9% 10 
Below 20%0
NAICS prefix is Points 
213, 512, 519, 331, 711, 721, 487, 486, 448, 485 30 
532, 333, 323, 115, 211,  25 
212, 316, 518, 515 20 
623,425, 442, 315, 339, 722, 812, 533 15 
326, 453, 624, 322, 523, 622, 236, 424, 321, 712, 713, 451, 112, 446, 524 10 
Demographic Criteria Points 
Minority-Owned 
Women-Owned 
Veteran-Owned 
Disabled-Owned 
Equity Atlas Score* Points 
Equity Atlas Score 8-10 20 
Equity Atlas Score 5-7 10 
Equity Atlas Score 2-4 
Other Grant Funding Received **Points 
$0  15 
$1 to $10,000 10 
$10,001 to $25,000 
$25,001 or more 

* Click here to learn more about the equity score

** Includes PPP, EIDL, Restaurant Revitalization Fund, COSA Recovery grant and COSA Hospitality grants

Application review: August 23- December 23, 2022.

The grants team will reach out to applicants by phone or email if additional documents or clarification is needed. If additional documents are requested, applicants will have 5 business days to submit. 

Award notifications: September 7, 2022- January 6, 2023.

Eligible applicants with the highest scores based on the methodology above will be notified earlier within that time frame, followed by lower scoring applicants. All applicants, even if ineligible or not selected for funding, will be notified by December 5.

Selected recipients will be notified of approval and accept the grant via an emailed Docusign form.

Grant disbursements: September 14, 2022 – January 9, 2023.

Eligible applicants with the highest scores based on the methodology above will be funded earlier within that time frame, followed by lower scoring applicants.

All recipients will be required to complete follow-up surveys in June 2023, June 2024 and June 2025. Grant recipients must keep detailed receipts for expenditure of grant funds. 

Need Assistance with CPS or SAWS Payment Options?

CPS Energy 

SAWS 

 

Other Local Resources

The City of San Antonio is available to assist with information and referrals to additional programs that can help your business. For assistance, please contact 210-207-3924 or SmallBizInfo@sanantonio.gov for more information.

 

Grants

Fundera Grant List

NASE

Fedex (Next round in 2023) 

Women Founders Network (Women-owned businesses, next round in 2023) 

Amber Grants (For women only)

National Black MBA Association (Black owned businesses, next round in 2023) 

Grant Watch (Tracks grants for veterans) 

Halstead Grant (Female entrepreneurs in jewelry industry, next round 2023) 

IdeaCafe Grant (Preference for women, next round 2023) 

EBay Up and Running (Business owners who sell on Ebay, next round 2023)

Barstool Grants

Comcast Rise

Visa MENA She’s Next Grant Program (Female, Middle Eastern, North African business owners, next round 2023) 

Tandy Leather Together Foundation (Businesses in the leather industry who are Tandy Leather customers) 

INFO SESSION WEBINAR

AUG

03

WED

Recording – Arabic

Recording – English

Recording – Spanish

GET HELP WITH THE APPLICATION

Contact one of our partners for in-person assistance with the grant application.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, as long as your business is registered with a DBA.

Part time, full time, and contractors who work for you on a regular basis.

No, you may only submit one application for one business. 

You are welcome to get assistance in completing the application from a third party, however, the business owner should submit their own application and the contact info listed should be for the owner.

here are 7 community partners who have been vetted and trained to assist business owners to submit the application free of charge. Do not pay a third party who is not on the list for application assistance. 

If you reported income from your current business on your 2019 schedule C, you may file a DBA at this time and be considered. 

You will be asked to submit a current business utility bill as part of the application. 

You can submit a copy of your business lease agreement.

You can contact the LiftFund Grants Team at 800-923-9551. For in-person application assistance, please contact one of the 7 community navigators to schedule an appointment. 

Click here to see if your business is located in an impacted area.

Yes, you are eligible for consideration. However, funds received from PPP, EIDL, Restaurant Revitalization Fund or the COSA Recovery grant and COSA Hospitality grants will be factored into your application score.