Fast Forward Monroe Grant Program

Summary: A grant program designed to provide direct financial aid and customer outreach support to local small businesses, with a focus on those in greatest need.

As of October 21, 2020, Monroe County rolled out a new grant program to help business owners in Monroe County that have been negatively impacted by COVID-19. The effort of this grant is designed to provide financial aid and customer outreach support to local small businesses focused on those in the greatest need. The total grant amount of $15 million will be distributed to eligible companies in grant values of $10,000, $15,000 and $20,000. There is no cost to apply to the grant program and the deadline to apply is November 2^nd at 5pm. We encourage you to read the FAQ’s on the Monroe County website. The site goes in-depth regarding general information on the grant program, eligibility and application questions and additional resources available.

Select Program Criteria (see Monroe County Website for full details)

• Must be able to produce evidence of significant loss of revenue, reduced level of production, sales, employment or service due to COVID
• Revenue maximum is $7,500,000 (based on Federal tax return filed)
• 50 or fewer W-2 based FTEs at the time of application
• Ineligible businesses: Not-for-profits, residential and commercial real estate property business, investment vehicles that invest in the securities of other entities, sports venues, and professional service firms (examples: doctors, dentists, lawyers, accountants, architects, engineers, etc.).
• This grant can only be used to cover expenses incurred between March 1st, 2020, and December 31, 2020 that have not already been reimbursed through other CARES Act funds including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The distributed grant money must be spent on any combination of the following expenses:
  • Rent, lease, or mortgage payments
  • Utility payments
  • Payroll costs
  • Supplier payments
  • Personal protective equipment and sanitation supplies
  • Physical building adaptation, including interior and exterior updates, and equipment
  • Technology and digital resources, including tools and services as well as purchases for remote access
  • Website development/enhancements
  • Marketing/advertising
  • Replacement of perishable inventory lost due to COVID
  • Regulatory compliance fees (permits and licensing, insurance, workers’ comp, etc.)
• The grant is not required to be repaid as long as you spend the money in accordance with the grant’s agreement. The Fast Forward Monroe grant program is not a loan.

Please note in order to fill out the application you must have an account, please visit www.monroecounty.gov/fastforwardmonroe and click on the ‘apply online now‘ button to being the application process. Please feel free to reach out to your Davie Kaplan client service team and we would be happy to assist you.