Skip to main content
Accessibility Help
Browse Services

Orange County
Small Business BOOST

Gig Worker Application

Mayor Demings' Seal

The application deadline for Orange County’s Small Business BOOST program for small businesses, home-based businesses, and gig workers is Friday, September 15, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. Grant applications that have already been submitted will continue to be reviewed through September 30, 2023. New applications must be completed and submitted by the deadline in order to be reviewed.

Gig Worker BOOST

Gig workers showcase the diversity of our local economy. The Orange County Small Business BOOST program provides funding to help gig workers in Orange County who have experience a negative impact on their freelance opportunities and their ability to earn because of the pandemic. Eligible individuals may receive up to $1,400 in the form of a non-repayable grant.

Step 1: Check for Eligibility

Please read the eligibility criteria to ensure you qualify for this grant. Do not start the application if you do not have all your required documents ready. This will allow your application to be approved as quickly as possible.

Eligibility Criteria

  1. Must be a gig worker (files 1099s) at the time of application and during the years 2020-2023. This program is only for individuals who at the time of application and during the years 2020-2023 received all of their income from gig (1099) work and were not otherwise employed either part or full-time. “Gig” work is short-term work for multiple clients.
  2. Must provide tax returns for 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 and be able to demonstrate, through a written narrative, at least a 25% loss of work or wages/income and that such loss was a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Such losses may not include any sustained after the April 10, 2023, conclusion of the COVID-19 national emergency.
  3. Losses related to passive income streams (for example, investments) are ineligible and must be excluded from calculation of loss under this program (to include real estate or such businesses in which the individual does not actively participate).
  4. Must not have received unemployment income at any time during 2020-2023.
  5. Must be a resident of Orange County, Florida, at the time of application and during the years 2020-2023. Proof of residency will be determined based on the addresses shown in the tax returns provided.
  6. If the applicant owns a business, whether in whole or in part, such applicant is ineligible for gig worker funding. Applicants may only receive grant funding under the Gig Economy Worker Assistance Program once.

Step 2: Collect Required Documents

Applicants for the Gig Economy Worker Assistance Program will be required to provide:

  • Upload copy of Drivers License or Proof of ID
  • All 1099s forms and income tax returns for the years 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. Proof of residency will be determined based on the addresses shown in the tax returns provided.
  • A narrative that demonstrates a minimum of 25% loss in income and explains how such loss was a result of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Contact Us

Orange County Small Business BOOST
Boost@ocfl.net
311 or 407-836-3111

All e-mail sent to this address becomes part of Orange County public record. Comments received by our e-mail subsystem can be read by anyone who requests that privilege. In compliance with "Government in the Sunshine" laws, Orange County Government must make available, at request, any and all information not deemed a threat to the security of law enforcement agencies and personnel.