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Orange County
Small Business BOOST

Small Business 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.

Small Business BOOST

Small businesses are the backbone of our local economy. The Orange County Small Business BOOST program provides funding to help small businesses in our community recover from the challenges they faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Small businesses that qualify for funding may receive up to $10,000 in the form of a non-repayable grant.

Step 1: Check for Eligibility

Please read the eligibility criteria to ensure your small business qualifies 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. Business physically located and operated in Orange County, Florida. “Physical location” means a brick-and-mortar establishment at which business is completed. Virtual offices, coworking spaces, addresses for P.O. boxes or equivalent with mail carriers, or any similar type of non-permanent arrangements do not qualify.
  2. Business is for-profit business enterprise, registered with the Florida Division of Corporations, and has an active registration status with the Florida Division of Corporations.
  3. Business has a valid business tax certificate for Orange County, and for any municipality in which the business is located that requires an additional business tax certificate. If the business believes itself to be exempt from such requirement, the business must submit evidence of such exemption (including a citation to applicable Florida law).
  4. Business is not a publicly traded company.
  5. Business must be able to provide tax returns for 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 to demonstrate a minimum of 25% loss in revenue (or gross sales) and, through a narrative, explain how such loss was a result of the COVID-19 public health emergency. Such losses may not include any sustained after the April 10, 2023, conclusion of the COVID-19 national emergency. Businesses that cannot demonstrate that the reported loss was due to COVID-19 are not eligible for funding.
  6. Losses related to passive business revenue or 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).
  7. Businesses receiving funds under the Orange County Small Business BOOST grant program may not receive more in ARPA grant funding than total revenue loss / negative economic impact after taking into account any other funding such businesses have already received (including but not limited to, funding already received from the County through the CARES Act, Federal Paycheck Protection Program, funding from the State or any Municipalities, etc.). In other words, duplication of funding across multiple funding sources for the same losses is expressly prohibited.
  8. Business must have been legally incorporated as of January 1, 2020, and additionally must have ongoing business operations as of the date of application and may not be engaged in any closure or “wind-down” proceedings.
  9. Business has no current unpaid code enforcement liens or violation of any state, federal, or local laws and is not currently in bankruptcy proceedings.
  10. No business owners, including managing members, partners, senior level executives, or officers have been convicted of financial crimes within the past three years.
  11. If the business is owned in whole or in part by an individual who owns another business that has already been approved for or received a grant under either the Small Business Grant Program or the Micro-Grant Program for Home-Based Businesses, or if such individual owner has been approved for or received a grant under the Gig Economy Worker Assistance Program, the business is ineligible for funding. This includes individual owners of multiple franchises or of multiple business enterprises regardless as to whether such businesses have related or unrelated activities or scopes. Additionally, businesses with separate locations may only receive funding for one location.
  12. Business is not owned by any individual, or the spouse or dependent immediate family members of such individual, who is an employee, elected officer, or appointed officer of Orange County Government or any Orange County Constitutional Office. Such prohibition includes both full-time and part-time employment.
  13. Must have, at least, one employee other than the owner (or 1099 contract worker).
  14. May not have more than 500 employees, or if applicable, the size standard in number of employees established by the Administrator of the Small Business Administration for the industry in which the business concern or organization operates.
  15. Are a small business concern as defined in Section 3 of the Small Business Act (which includes, among other requirements, that the business is independently owned and operated and is not dominant in its field of operation).
  16. Small businesses are only permitted to receive one grant.

Step 2: Collect Required Documents

Applicants for the Small Business Grant Program will need the following documents before they fill out the application:

  • Upload copy of Driver’s License or Proof of ID
  • Current W-9 Form
  • Active state business registration, license, or other documentation
  • Business financials, including 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 Tax Return or equivalent
  • County and, if applicable, Municipal business tax receipt
  • If the business received Federal PPP funding, provide proof such as a confirmation from your lending institution, or a copy of your PPP executed note
  • A narrative that demonstrates a minimum of 25% loss in revenue (or gross sales) and explains how such loss was a result of the COVID-19 public health emergency
  • Depending on the business’ legal structure, business owners will be required to provide:
    • Individual (Sole Proprietors and individual/single-owner LLCs): Shall submit their 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 Schedule Cs (Form 104).
    • Corporations (C-Corps, S-Corps, corporate Limited Liability Corporations (LLCs)): Shall submit their 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 Corporation Income Tax Return (Form 1120/Form 1120-S).
    • Partnerships: Shall submit their 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 Return of Partnership Income (Form 1065).
  • For Small Business Grant Program Applicants Only: A deed or commercial lease agreement for the business’ brick-and-mortar physical location in Orange County, Florida.

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.