Working Washington Small Business Grants: Round 4 - How to Apply, What They Are For and What You Will Need to Have Ready.
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Working Washington Small Business Grants: Round 4. How to Apply, What They Are For and What You Will Need to Have Ready.
Working Washington Grants for
Small Businesses
Important note from Washington State Dept. of
Commerce:
Applicants who previously applied for earlier
Working Washington grants will need to create a
new account and reapply. Criteria is different than
earlier programs and the application platform is new
– your prior grant application activity will not port
over to this program.
2Working Washington Grants for
Small Businesses
Today We’ll Cover:
• Overview of the new WWR4 Grants:
• Application Time Window
• Who this grant is intended for
• Requirements for eligibility
• Business types not eligible for this WWR4 grant
• What happens after you apply
• What You Will Need to Have Ready
• Specific Documents
• NAICS Codes
• How To Apply:
• Online Portal
• Step by Step Coverage of the Online Application
• What Does the Grant Pay For:
• Types of Expenses
3
• What happens if a business is awarded the WW4 grantWorking Washington Grants for
Small Businesses
Disclaimer: The purpose of this presentation on the Working
Washington Small Business Grants: Round 4 is to support Technical
Assistance partners who are helping small business owners in
Washington State. To ensure equitable distribution applications for
businesses operating in rural, low income, and historically underserved
or disadvantaged populations (minority, veteran, LGBTQ+ or woman
owned) will be considered.
• This presentation is based on the WWR4 grant portal that went live
online on March 29th. There are additional webinars planned that will
have updated information.
• Consult your CPA, Attorney or similar professional for tax and legal
advice regarding how these programs may impact your specific
business.
• Please visit https://commercegrants.com/ for the most up-to-date
information about the program. 4Working Washington Grants for
Small Businesses
Key Working Washington Round 4 Grant Details:
• Portal open Monday March 29th through Friday April 9th @ 5:00pm
• You must create a new account, even if you applied in the past!
• Businesses must apply the grant award toward expenses incurred between
March 1, 2020 through June 30th, 2021 (per HB 1368)
• Commerce must take into account previous Working Washington awards
distributed by the agency or affiliated partners. This means grant awards will
vary. The maximum grant award will be $25,000.
• Grants must be equitably distributed statewide and to historically
underserved and disadvantaged populations.
• These grants are aimed at for-profit small businesses in industries that have
hard costs associated with their operations and faced the most significant
challenges to paying those hard costs because they were required to close.
Hard costs include but are not limited to rent, utilities, payroll or personal
protective equipment. 5Working Washington Grants for
Small Businesses
Eligible applications will be reviewed based on the following priority
criteria:
• Industries that had to close or significantly reduce operations as a result of
safety and public health measures.
• Size of the business (measured by 2019 revenue).
• Lost revenue between 2019 and 2020 as well as added expenses to maintain
safe operations.
• Businesses operating in a rural or low-income community or that is owned
by someone from a historically underserved or disadvantaged population
(minority, veteran, LGBTQ+ or women-owned).
• Unlike past Washington State grants, this program was authorized by the
Washington State Legislature in bill HB 1368. The link to that bill and its
language is
https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1368&Year=2021 6Working Washington Grants for
Small Businesses
Requirements for eligibility:
• Active for-profit business or individual DBA located in Washington state
(“does business as”.) Businesses can only apply for one location per business
(identified by UBI).
• Has been in business prior to January 1, 2020 & filed a 2019 tax return.
• Generates at least 51% of revenue in Washington state.
• Operates from a physical brick and mortar location in Washington state
(separate from owner’s home).
• Reported gross annual revenue between $25,000 – $5 million in 2019.
• Experienced a decrease in revenue and/or incurred additional costs between
2019 and 2020 due to COVID-19 public health and safety measures.
7Working Washington Grants for
Small Businesses
There are additional small business funding programs provided through federal or
Washington State government action. If additional grant funding becomes available
through the Department of Commerce, the information will be updated on the
Department’s website. Please visit COVID-19 Business Resources for Washington State
to learn more.
Ineligible for This Working Washington Round 4 Grant:
• Non-profit business or organization.
• Childcare provider (not including recreation/entertainment).
• School (Pre-K, K-12 and higher education).
• Library.
• Hospital/Healthcare provider (personal services such as massage and
chiropractors ARE eligible).
• Property management/Real estate (including owners or operators of short-
term rental properties).
• Professional Services (accounting, insurance, legal, financial services/firms,
architects etc.). 8Working Washington Grants for
Small Businesses
Ineligible for This Working Washington Round 4 Grant (con’t):
• Agriculture & aquaculture producer (such as farms and ranchers).
• Licensed marijuana/cannabis operation (doesn’t include CBD retailers).
• Drivers of shared ride companies (g., Lyft or Uber) & Host/operator of a
vacation or short-term rental unit (like Airbnb or VRBO).
• Government entities or elected official offices.
• Passive business, investment companies and investors who file a Schedule E
on their personal tax returns, Financial business primarily engaged in the
business of lending, such as banks, finance company and factoring company.
• Businesses that have permanently closed or intend to permanently close in
2021, Businesses engaged in any socially undesirable activity or activity that
may be considered predatory in nature (such as rent-to-own businesses and
check cashing businesses), Businesses of a prurient sexual nature (“adult”
businesses), Speculative businesses. 9Working Washington Grants for
Small Businesses
Ineligible for This Working Washington Round 4 Grant (con’t):
• Businesses primarily engaged in political or lobbying activities.
• Businesses without a physical business location in Washington state.
• Businesses that restrict patronage for any reason other than capacity or age
restrictions per regulations.
• Businesses found to be in violation of any COVID-19-related order issued by
the governor. This includes remaining open when ordered to close, or
disregarding COVID-19 health or safety measures applicable to the business.
• Businesses with compliance or regulatory issues as of March 2020.
• Businesses that are actively engaged in current/pending lawsuits.
• Businesses disbarred by the federal government.
• Businesses actively pursuing a bankruptcy declaration.
10Working Washington Grants for
Small Businesses
Show That Your Business is in an Impacted Business Sector by:
• Providing a clear description of your primary business services and activity in
the application.
• Describe the impact that COVID-19 pandemic has had on your business.
• Determine and provide your NAICS (North American Industry Classification
System) Code. This is required but not a determiner to get the grant.
• You can determine your NAICS Code by entering keywords describing your
business at https://www.naics.com/search/.
• You can also look up your business at the WA Department of Revenue
website - https://dor.wa.gov/. Go to “Look up a Business”, enter your
business name and look under “Excise Tax”. Your NAICS Code will show up
there.
11Working Washington Grants for
Small Businesses
Information That You Will need. Only 2 Documents are Required:
• Copy of filed 2019 federal tax return.
• Copy of 2020 tax return if filed.
• Washington State Unified Business Identifier (UBI)* number. Check with the
WA DOR at https://secure.dor.wa.gov/gteunauth/?Link=Lookup to make sure
your business license is active and in good standing).
• *Tribal member-owned businesses without a UBI may provide
alternative business validation such as a license or registration with a
federally recognized tribal nation.
• Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN), if applicable.
• Valid Government-issued photo ID.
• NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) Code. Your business.
profile at the WA DOR has that.
• Ability to complete a digital federal W-9 form if awarded the grant. 12Working Washington Grants for
Small Businesses
Technical Support Center:
• The Technical Support Centers will provide support by phone and/or email to
any applicants with questions related to the Working Washington Grants -
Round 4 program.
• The public can access it by calling (855) 602-2722 or emailing
commercegrants@submittable.com.
• The Hours are: 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday-Friday; 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday &
Sunday.
• Email & Voicemails: Response will be provided within 8 business hours
• We also plan to offer phone support in seven different languages (Spanish,
Mandarin, Vietnamese, Russian, Amharic, Arabic and Tagalog). This
assistance will be available March 29-April 9 only at 206-333-0720.
• All answers on the application portal need to be in English. Please consider
using a translation tool (like Google Translate) to help translate the response
into English before submitting the final application. 13Working Washington Grants for
Small Businesses
Additional Details and Tips:
• If you have previously applied for a Working Washington Grant in 2020, You
will need to apply again even if you applied in any other round as this
program requires different criteria than prior rounds.
• A 2019 federal tax return is required since Commerce requires this
documentation to validate the applicant’s business status and income. New
businesses that started shortly before or during the COVID-19 pandemic do
not qualify for this program.
• Due to the nature of a pandemic, and for the safety of Washington state
employees and their community partners, we are limited to conducting this
process through online applications only. Further, in order to process these
grant awards in the time required, we must do it all online.
• The business owner must electronically sign the application form and attest
to the certifications. They will also need to sign the contract agreement if
awarded.
14Working Washington Grants for
Small Businesses
Additional Details and Tips:
• This new application is mobile-friendly and usable on smart phones and
tablets. It is available on multiple browsers. We recommend using Google
Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Apple Safari as browsers (Internet Explorer is not
supported), whether on your smartphone, tablet or computer to apply for
this grant.
• The application will automatically save your work. There is also a “save”
button at the bottom of the page. Please make sure to note your account
login and password so you are able to access your application later. Please
note, you will not be able to edit or make corrections to your application
after it is submitted. You will also not be able to create more than one
application per business.
• There is a Collaboration Feature: When the applicant is eligible to start the
application, they can invite a trusted partner as a collaborator for assistance.
The collaborator will be able to complete form fields but will not be able to
sign the application or click Apply. 15Working Washington Grants for
Small Businesses
Additional Details and Tips:
• These grants do not need to be repaid. However, all taxes associated with
the acceptance and/or uses of cash awarded are the sole responsibility of
the individual grantee. Please contact your financial advisor or the
Department of Revenue for questions related to your own situation.
• There is no reporting requirement after the grant is awarded. However, each
awardee will be required to sign an agreement and complete bank wire
instructions to receive the funding if and when awarded. The agreement will
re-certify the self-attest statements you made on the application, along with
other provisions regarding the program and what documents the business
should retain.
• Funds will be distributed by Commerce’s partners using a direct bank
transfer of funds referred to as an ACH. Knowing your correct business bank
account and routing number for your bank branch is critical to successfully
obtaining funds.
16Working Washington Grants for
Small Businesses
Additional Details and Tips:
• Submittable is a company that offers application services for programs
such as this. Washington State Department of Commerce has partnered
with Submittable to manage the application process and distribute
awards. You will need to create a Submittable account.
• Successful grantees must use the funding for costs incurred between
March 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021, as required by HB 1368. Awardees are
able to expend grant funding for any eligible expenses due to the impact
of COVID-19 as long as they have not been previously funded through
other grant or forgivable awards including private, state and federal.
• Review the FAQs to learn more about what is a valid use of the funding.
17Working Washington Grants for
Small Businesses
Additional Details and Tips:
• Actual Grant awards may vary. Once an application is approved, Commerce
will have to confirm whether or not the business has received a prior
Working Washington grant and then reduce the new grant amount by that
total. This is required by the legislature in HB 1368, which appropriated the
funding for this program. A maximum award per applicant for this Working
Washington grant round is $25,000.
• This grant may be taxable for federal income taxes. Your accountant can
advise you of any tax obligations, but these grants are not subject to
Washington State business and occupation (B&O) tax, public utility tax, or
retail sales tax (per HB 1095 which exempts the receipt of “qualifying grant”
funds from certain taxes).
• The Department of Commerce is not requesting receipts as a part of the
grant award, but, in the event of an audit, the business must show proof of
expenditures. You must retain documentation for at least six years.
18Working Washington Grants for
Small Businesses
Additional Details and Tips:
• The applicant is required to apply to the application questions in English but
the application questions will be translated ahead of the application portal
opening on Commerce’s website. The languages included are: Amharic,
Arabic, Bosnian, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish,
Tagalog, Thai, Ukrainian and Vietnamese.
• Drafts of the application are saved and can be edited but when the “Apply”
button is pressed the application is final and is not available for edits,
corrections or reconsideration.
• Please visit our Small Business Resiliency Network of trusted community
partners page to learn more about other language support assistance that
Commerce offers in conjunction with its statewide partners.
19Working Washington Grants for
Small Businesses
What Happens after you submit “Apply” for the WWR4 Grant?
• The WWR4 grant is not first come first served. Once the grant portal closes
at 5:00pm on April 9th, the Department of Commerce and its technical
partners will begin processing applications.
• Those businesses awarded the grant will be notified by email from
Submittable.
• Applicants awarded the grant will be required to provide accurate and
verified bank routing number and account number.
• A digital federal W-9 will also be required to be completed online. This form
notifies the federal IRS of the potentially taxable income of the WWR4 grant.
• The business owner must electronically sign the contract agreement and
attest to the certifications if awarded the grant.
20Working Washington Grants for
Small Businesses
There are five sections to completing the applications process:
1) Registering for a Submittable account to access the form.
2) Determining eligibility.
3) Providing Business information 11 questions including providing a
Business address that is consistent with the address shown on the
business account with the Washington Department of Revenue.
4) Providing Business Background – 6 questions
5) Identifying the COVID-19 related Business Impact – 3 questions
6) Identifying other Business Support – 3 questions
7) Uploading Documents – 2 documents are required – 2019 tax return and
valid government photo ID, front & back. A 2020 tax return is optional
8) Certifications & Signature
*Items marked with a red asterisk are required.
21Working Washington Grants for
Small Businesses
Where business owners can get assistance:
• Business owners can visit commercegrants.com for more information about
eligibility, the documents required to apply and how to reach someone for
assistance.
• Hours of the support centers can be found here here:
https://commercegrants.com/grant-4/help-support/
• The technical support center can be reached by phone or by email: (855) 602-
2722 or commercegrants@submittable.com.
• Email & Voicemails: Response provided within 8 business hours
• technical assistance is available in multiple languages and is accessible to a wide
range of people with disabilities at https://blog.submittable.com/vpat-and-
submittable-a-focus-on-accessibility/
• Community organizations are providing translation and individual assistance
through Department of Commerce’s Business Resiliency Network. You can find
contact information at: https://commercegrants.com/small-business-resiliency-
assistance/
22Working Washington Grants for
Small Businesses
Additional Support:
Link to the translation of the application portal into multiple languages:
https://commercegrants.com/grant-4/general-info/
Link to department of Agriculture COVID-19 relief programs:
https://agr.wa.gov/grants
Additional Webinars are scheduled for:
• Friday, April 2nd @ 10:00am (hosted by SBDC)
• Tuesday, April 6th @ 10am (hosted by WEDA)
The Washington Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is a network of
expert business advisors working in communities across the state to help small
business owners start, grow and rebuild their businesses through no-cost,
confidential, one-on-one consulting and advising.
Email: washington@wsbdc.org Phone: (833) 492-7232
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