To be eligible to receive a grant from the Small Business Readiness for Resiliency Program (the “Grant Program”), an Applicant (or their business) must:
- Be a business that has fewer than 500 employees.
- Have at least one physical or online business location within the United States or its territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, Northern Marianas, US Virgin Islands, America Samoa)
- Self-certify that the business has reviewed the Emergency Preparedness Checklist for Small Businesses and has created an Action Plan
- Not be part of a franchise brand with more than twenty-five (25) corporate-owned stores, or more than two hundred and fifty (250) stores in total.
- Not be in an ineligible business category (as defined below);
- To receive a grant, have its principal physical location in a county that receives a major disaster declaration and qualifies for Individual Assistance
- To receive a grant, have a valid employee identification number (EIN);
- To receive a grant, have been financially harmed by a disaster and incur an uncovered loss;
- Agree to all the Grant Program Rules.
Each company by EIN can only receive one $5,000 grant, and each business owner can only receive a grant for a single company.
Ineligible Business Categories:
- Any government agency, public administration, political organization, or non-profit of any type
- Businesses engaged in any illegal activity;
- Direct Sellers;
- Any business that is primarily in the business of manufacturing, promoting or selling diet aids, cannabis, gambling, tobacco (including tobacco-related equipment, such as e-cigarettes), firearms or other weapons;
- Private clubs and businesses which limit the number of memberships for reasons other than capacity;
- Businesses principally engaged in teaching, instructing, counseling or indoctrinating religion or religious beliefs, whether in a religious or secular setting;
- Businesses which derive directly or indirectly more than de minimis gross revenue through the sale of products or services, or the presentation of any depictions or displays, of a sexual nature;
- Businesses owned by employees, officers and directors of USCCF, FedEx, or any current funder of the Grant Program, or any affiliated entities, and their respective immediate families (parents, spouse, children, siblings) or individuals residing in their household (whether or not related).
- Entities listed on the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Sanctions List.
Procedure:
Applying
Applications may be made by the owner of any business using the application form on website, beginning May 10, 2022. Applications will be valid only if the form is fully completed and submitted online.
Applicants must also certify the following in the application:
- That your responses to the questions are truthful to the best of your knowledge and that you are prepared to provide supporting documents.
- That you will not use the Grant funds to engage in lobbying or political activities;
Grant Selection
Once FEMA activates a federally declared disaster as eligible for Individual Assistance, USCCF will reach out to business owners located in those counties who had completed an application by the time the declaration had been made.
The eligible companies that will receive a grant is based on 1) number of eligible businesses in the application database, 2) number of total businesses in the impacted counties, 3) impact of the disaster, 4) level of remaining funds and 5) the ability of a particular business to demonstrate that a grant to it is consistent with USCCF’s purposes as a charity. Not all eligible companies may receive a grant—if there are insufficient funds, eligible applications would be chosen at random to receive funding. To be clear, USCCF retains the right to deny a grant to any entity in its discretion. Such denial of a grant can be for any reason, including but not limited to the fact that such a grant would not be consistent with USCCF’s purposes as a charity.
If selected for a grant, a business owner must provide the following:
- Attestation that you have suffered losses greater than $5,000 as a result of the disaster that are not covered by insurance. Only businesses with applicable disaster related damages or losses that equal or exceed $5,000 shall be eligible for grants.
- Be able to upload a completed and signed w9 with a filled-in EIN.
- Agree to complete a post-grant survey approximately four weeks after grant payment.
General Rules:
Only those applications submitted through the online application process will be accepted. Applications received by any other means will not be considered. No Application can be individually acknowledged, or returned after submission. If a business owner submits multiple applications for the same business, the most recent application will remain in the database, all others will be removed. Neither USCCF, FedEx, other funders or partners, nor their parents, affiliated entities or agents, are responsible for any illegible, lost, stolen, late, damaged, incomplete, mutilated or misdirected Applications or other documents. Applicants are responsible for ensuring proper contact information has been submitted and is maintained throughout the Grant Program to allow communications about the Grant Program.
Erroneous or false information provided in the application will result in immediate disqualification of the Applicant. USCCF otherwise retains the right to disqualify any Applicant in its sole discretion.
If, for any reason, the Grant Program is not capable of running as planned, USCCF reserves the right in its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Grant Program at any time.
By submitting an Application, or by being an Applicant, you understand that there is no joint venture, partnership, employment or agency relationship between you and USCCF, FedEx, other funders or partners arising from any application or Grant Award.
All Applicants grant permission to USCCF, FedEx, other funders, partners to use anonymized data pertaining to their non-identifiable application answers to prepare public-facing impact reports. Applicants that have not opted out to receive email communications may receive news and other communications.
Award Recipients grant permission to USCCF, FedEx, other funders or partners to use the name, logo, statements, including city and state of primary physical location, and the submitted Application information in perpetuity, worldwide, royalty-free in any and all media now known or which may be developed in the future to promote the Grant Program and the objectives the Grant Program seeks to further.
The decisions of the Grant Program are final, and Applicants specifically agree that the decision of the Grant Program and any decision of USCCF is not subject to review or appeal in any forum whatsoever, including courts of law.
NO WARRANTY OF ANY TYPE IS PROVIDED FOR ANY AWARD. NO AWARD MAY BE TRANSFERRED TO ANY PARTY.
Any information provided as part of this Grant Program is provided according to the website Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, as they may be amended from time to time, and as otherwise provided for in these Rules.
By submitting your email address and/or an Application, you consent to our processing of the included personal data in order to take action on the Application and to contact you about other programs you may be interested in.
By completing an Application or being an Applicant, you agree on behalf of yourself and each of your respective heirs, executors, administrators, legal representatives, agents, successors and assigns (“Releasing Party”) to the Grant Program Rules and the decisions of the Grant Program, as applicable, and any affiliated entities or persons, and by completing an Application or being an Applicant, you release, defend and hold harmless USCCF, FedEx, any other funder, partner, and their affiliates, advisors, agents, licensees, and any social or other media used for the Grant Program, and any of their respective officers, directors and employees as applicable (“Released Parties”), from any and all causes of action, suits, debts, dues, sums of money, accounts, reckonings, bonds, bills, covenants, contracts, controversies, promises, lost profits, indirect or direct damages, consequential damage, incidental damages, punitive or exemplary damages, judgments, claims and demands whosoever, in law, or equity, whether known or unknown, foreseen or unforeseen, which any Releasing Party has or may ever had, now or hereafter, arising from or related to the Grant Program, these Official Rules, any Application materials, including but not limited to any use or non-use of any Application materials, delivery, misdelivery, acceptance, possession, attendance at, travel related to, misuse, and/or use of or inability to use, any Grant, or technical or other failures of any kind.
