WHAT BUSINESSES ARE ELIGIBLE?
Any small business (500 employees or less), with an Employee Identification Number (EIN) that meets the additional program criteria outlined in our Terms and Conditions is eligible to receive a grant from the Small Business Readiness for Resiliency Program (R4R). Please note that we do not fund nonprofit organizations of any type.
HOW MUCH IS THE GRANT?
Selected applicants will receive a grant of $5,000. Applicants must report economic and/or physical disaster losses/damages of $5,000 or more to be eligible for the grant and must be able to demonstrate these losses.
WHAT TYPES OF DISASTERS DOES R4R OFFER GRANTS FOR?
Once a state-declared State of Emergency order or disaster declaration is made, the U.S. Chamber Foundation retains sole and absolute discretion to identify and determine whether (i) such event qualifies as a Disaster and (ii) grant support is appropriate to achieve the charitable purposes of the program. R4R will not activate for disasters that receive a declaration more than 45 days after the date of a disaster.
CAN I REGISTER FOR R4R WITHOUT COMPLETING AN EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN?
No, applicants must complete an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) per the FedEx’s Emergency Preparedness Checklist for Small Businesses (available in English and Spanish). Businesses that are eligible to register for the program will be required to upload their completed EAP during the registration process. You can access FedEx’s Emergency Preparedness Checklist on our website here.
WHEN WILL MY BUSINESS BE ABLE TO APPLY FOR A GRANT?
Businesses that meet our program criteria and register their business in our database prior to a disaster occurring in their area will receive an email invitation from us to apply for a grant should R4R be activated in their area. Refer to the question “WHAT TYPES OF DISASTERS DOES R4R OFFER GRANTS FOR?” for more information about when R4R activations occur.
DOES EVERY BUSINESS IN AN IMPACTED REGION RECEIVE A GRANT?
No, the number of grants we distribute for any disaster is based on the number of eligible applicants, size of the region, impact of the disaster, and the amount of remaining funds for the year. If there are more eligible businesses than available funding, then we will randomly allocate grants.
Applicants that are not selected to receive a grant in a given year will still be considered, should another disaster strike in their community.
WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO AFTER BEING INVITED TO APPLY FOR A GRANT?
You will need to complete and submit the R4R grant application. Beyond answering questions about the physical and/or economic loss you experienced from the disaster in the application, you will need to upload the following details:
- A completed IRS W-9 Form
- An image or documentation showing proof of your business’s loss from the disaster
- A voided business check or banking documentation showing your business’s bank account and routing numbers
IF MY BUSINESS IS SELECTED FOR A GRANT, HOW WILL I RECEIVE MY FUNDING?
Grant funding will be sent to businesses selected for a grant via ACH/direct deposit. Applicants will be required to provide their business’s bank account information in the R4R grant application.
WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO AFTER RECEIVING A GRANT?
Approximately six weeks after you receive the grant, and again after one year, we will send you post-grant surveys that you must complete as part of your grant agreement.
CAN I RECEIVE A GRANT MORE THAN ONCE?
Yes, each business by EIN can receive one grant per calendar year.
