California Microbusiness COVID-19 Relief 
Grant Application
In partnership with Working Solutions CDFI, the Sonoma County Economic Development Board (EDB) is pleased to announce the launch of the California Microbusiness COVID-19 Relief Grant Program, which will provide grants of $2,500 to local microbusinesses significantly impacted by COVID-19. Grant amounts and eligibility requirements are set by the funder, the California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA). The intent of this program is to provide relief to the hardest to reach microbusinesses and entrepreneurs. Working Solutions CDFI is a nonprofit organization administering the application and grant-making process.

Applications accepted on a rolling basis until
June 30, 2023 or all remaining funds are exhausted.
Eligibility Criteria:
  • Verified as locally-owned and operated (physically located in Sonoma County);
  • Currently active and operating;
  • Open and operating prior to COVID-19 (prior to December 31, 2019);
  • Currently have <5 full-time equivalent employees and had <5 full-time equivalent employees in 2019 and 2020;
  • Generated <$50,000 in business revenue in 2019 (as verified by tax returns);
  • The applicant is the majority-owner and manager of the microbusiness;
  • This business was the applicant's primary means of income in the 2019 taxable year;
  • Significant negative impacts to operations as a result of COVID-19;
  • Did not receive a grant from the California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program; and
  • Not a business excluded from participation in the California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program, as specified in paragraph (2) of subdivision (f) of Section 12100.82 (see this list here).
Priority Given to:
  • Microbusinesses operated or owned by a member of a group that has faced historic barriers in accessing capital, including, but not limited to, women, minorities or persons of color, veterans, undocumented individuals, and individuals living in low-wealth or rural areas on low incomes;
  • Microbusinesses that suffered economic impacts or revenue losses due to COVID-19; and
  • Sidewalk vendors.
Eligible Expenses:
  • Purchase of new equipment;
  • Investment in working capital;
  • Application for, or renewal of, a local permit;
  • Payment of business debt built up during the COVID-19 pandemic; or
  • Costs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and related health and safety restrictions, or business interruptions or closures due to the pandemic.
Note: This application will take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. Fields marked with an asterisk are required.

If you have questions about this grant program, please email EDBgrants@sonoma-county.org. If you have questions about this application, please email grants@workingsolutions.org.
About You






About Your Business

Reminder: This grant program is intended to serve businesses that are locally owned and operated in Sonoma County. No P.O. boxes allowed.




No P.O. boxes allowed.






This program is intended to serve microbusinesses that began operation prior to December 31, 2019.

If you do not know your NAICS code, visit www.census.gov/naics, find the "2022 NAICS Search" box on the left side of the page, and enter a keyword that describes your business. A list of primary business activities containing that keyword and the corresponding NAICS codes will appear. Choose the one that most closely corresponds to your primary business activity, or refine your search to get other options.

Maximum length: 100 words.

Income Level
To determine your income category, identify the column that matches the number of persons in your household, and then identify the row that matches your total 2021 household income. 

Example: If you are a household of 4 and your total household income was $80,000 in 2021, you would fall into the Low-Income category.

Income Chart for Sonoma County
Employees
This grant program is intended to serve microbusinesses with <5 full-time equivalent employees in 2019, 2020, and currently.  

Please calculate your full-time equivalent employees and enter the figures below. Include yourself in employee counts. Include contractors only if they are a significant part of your day-to-day operations. 

See below for an example. For more information about how to calculate this, click here. 
  • Full-time (40 hours per week) = 1
  • Half-time (20 hours per week) = 0.5
  • Quarter-time (10 hours per week) = 0.25
Example: If you have one full-time employee who works 40 hours per week and one part-time employee who works 10 hours per week, your full-time equivalent figure would be 1.25.
Full-Time Equivalent Staff
2019 (as of 12/31/2019)
2020 (as of 12/31/2020)
Currently (as of 12/31/2022)
Document Upload #1: 2019 Business Tax Returns
This grant program is intended to serve microbusinesses that generated <$50,000 in business revenue prior to COVID-19.

For this program, business revenue is defined as Gross Receipts or Sales from your 2019 business tax returns (box 1 or 1a). 

Please upload your 2019 business tax returns. Please do not submit your tax returns for any other year.

Acceptable file types include: 
  • Sole Proprietorship: 2019 Schedule C on Form 1040, Profit or Loss from Business 
  • Partnership: 2019 Form 1065, U.S. Return of Partnership Income
  • Corporation: 2019 Form 1120, U.S. Corporation Income Tax Return
  • LLC: 2019 business tax return filing, which may be any of the above. 
Document Upload #2: Business License, Permit, or Fictitious Business Name Filing
Please upload proof that your business is located in Sonoma County. One of the following is required:
*If you need to retrieve a copy of your business license or renew your license, you can do so by clicking on your city name: Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Windsor, Healdsburg, Sonoma, Cloverdale, Sebastopol, and Cotati.
Demographic Information (optional)
This section is not required but helps us understand the populations we are serving with this grant program. 




Certification
I certify all of the following:
  • The information presented in this application is true and correct to the best of my knowledge.
  • My business is locally-owned and operated (physically located in Sonoma County).
  • My business meets all of the eligibility criteria: 
    1. Currently active and operating;
    2. Open and operating prior to COVID-19 (prior to December 31, 2019); 
    3. Currently have <5 full-time equivalent employees and had <5 full-time equivalent employees in 2019 and 2020;
    4. Generated <$50,000 in business revenue in 2019 (as verified by tax returns); 
    5. I am the majority-owner and manager of the microbusiness;
    6. This business was my primary means of income in the 2019 taxable year;
    7. Experienced significant negative impacts to operations as a result of COVID-19;
    8. Did not receive a grant from the California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program; and
    9. Not a business excluded from participation in the California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program, as specified in paragraph (2) of subdivision (f) of Section 12100.82 (see this list here).
  • If selected, I can provide a W-9 with my EIN or SSN and an acceptable form of government-issued photo ID (state, domestic, or foreign).
  • If selected, I will use the grant funds for one of the following: 
    1. The purchase of new certified equipment including, but not limited to, a cart. 
    2. Investment in working capital. 
    3. Application for, or renewal of, a local permit including, but not limited to, a permit to operate as a sidewalk vendor. 
    4. Payment of business debt accrued due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 
    5. Costs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and related health and safety restrictions, or business interruptions or closures incurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.



Upon submission, you will receive an email acknowledging receipt. Please check your junk folder if you do not see it. Applications are being reviewed in batches, and grant decision notifications will be made via email within approximately four weeks.

If you need assistance, please email grants@workingsolutions.org.