Relief grants available for Mesa small businesses and nonprofits dealing with COVID-19 financial hardships

September 30, 2020 at 1:12 pm

Mesa is partnering with Maricopa County to offer grants up to $25,000 to small businesses and nonprofit organizations experiencing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The relief grants are being administered by the Arizona Community Foundation. Applications are being accepted through Oct. 30, 2020.

"We're really pleased to see this program expand to Mesa, to offer relief grants for small businesses and nonprofits who continue to face challenges due to the pandemic," Mayor John Giles said. "This is an important partnership for the City of Mesa with Maricopa County and the Arizona Community Foundation, to offer much-needed additional financial assistance."

To qualify for the relief grants, small businesses and nonprofits must meet several requirements, including:

In operation in Maricopa County prior to Jan. 1, 2019
Employs 50 or fewer full-time workers as of March 1, 2020
Did not generate more than $5 million in gross revenues between Jan. 1, 2019 and Dec. 31, 2019
Gross revenues declined by at least 25 percent because of COVID-19 from March through June 2020 compared to the same time span in 2019
Meets required zoning and regulatory requirements

Business applicants are asked to provide several documents, including:

A schedule of monthly gross revenues from January 2019 through June 2020
Documentation of 2019 and 2020 monthly financial totals including a monthly income statement or profit and loss statement
A screenshot of their business registration on the Arizona Corporation Commission website for either a corporation or LLC
Most recent IRS Form W9 or, for sole proprietors with no employees, a Social Security number
Other supporting documentation to demonstrate hardship resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic

The City is contributing a portion of its Mesa CARES funds to supplement Maricopa County's CARES Act funds for the relief grants. Funding for Mesa CARES is from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

The Arizona Community Foundation will review applications on a rolling basis. The Foundation will notify applicants of the status of their application within five business days of receipt. Grant payments will be issued by check within 15 business days of the award notification.

For more information, including the online application, visit www.AZFoundation.org/MaricopaRelief.

Public Information and Communications
Contact: Kevin Christopher
Tel. 480-644-4699
kevin.christopher@mesaaz.gov