Working Washington Small Business Emergency Grant (WWSBEG) is a new program offered by Governor Jay Inslee and administered by Department of Commerce to assist small businesses—with up to 10 FTEs—impacted by COVID-19 to survive and retain jobs. The grant application is available through Commerce and must be submitted to CREDC, the State’s designated Associate Development Organization (ADO) for Clark County. Funds will be made available to awardees on a reimbursable basis in a one-time grant of up to $10,000. That means that small businesses must be able to pay upfront for costs for which they plan to apply reimbursable grant money, if awarded.
CREDC will be accepting the first round of applications via email between 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. on April 8, 2020. Applications will be prioritized based on the severity of the impact the business is facing due to COVID-19, including from being forced to close by the government-mandated closures, social distancing measures or illness. There is a limited amount of granting capacity—estimated at $5 million—that will be awarded statewide among selected grantees.
Eligibility
To be eligible for this program, you must meet the following criteria:
Must have been in business for at least one year
Must be a small business with 1-10 full-time employees may apply for a one-time grant of up to $10,000. The size of the company will be verified as of January 2020. Note: a sole proprietor can be considered an employee.
Must be able to express hardship directly related to COVID-19-induced business obstacles. Funding is not meant to help launch a business, but to support existing businesses who are specifically affected by the COVID-19 crisis and are vital members of their local community.
Must submit a fully completed application (all application questions must be answered)
Must be able to pay upfront for costs for which you plan to apply reimbursable grant money (if awarded)
Optional: you may elect to disclose status as a business owner from a historically underrepresented community and/or a business owner of a traded-sector business in the narrative portion of your application
Please note: Applicants are eligible to receive one Working Washington Grant award during the current budget cycle, which ends on 06/30/2021.
Approved Grant Expenditures
Grant funds can be used for expenses related to consulting, marketing and training or for operational expenses, including rent, supplies and inventory, utility bills, etc.
Grant funds cannot be used for payroll, capitalized equipment, travel, office equipment and computer software.
Application
Applications are available now through the Washington State Department of Commerce.
Completed applications must be submitted to CREDC via email (info@credc.org) between 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. on April 8, 2020. Please note that applications must include a list of proposed expenses grants will be spent on, otherwise, the application will be considered incomplete. All application questions must be answered for the application to be considered complete.
Should there continue to be grant fund availability after receiving and reviewing this first round of applications, we will open additional grant application windows until there are no longer funds available through partners at the state-level.
Grant Processing Timeline
A committee of community partners in business assistance will perform a preliminary screening of applications.
Application processing and review will take approximately 3-4 weeks, depending on volume of applications received.
If selected, expect to hear back from CREDC the week of May 4th at the earliest.
Funds will be made available to awardees on a reimbursable basis in amounts of up to $10,000.
For additional information, please take a look at this FAQ.