COMMUNITY ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS (AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT FUNDS)

ABOUT THE COMMUNITY ENHANCEMENT GRANT PROGRAM:

The Community Enhancement Program funds grants for cultural activities, museums, visitor and convention bureaus, economic development councils, and other similar institutions that promote and generate tourism and/or economic development at the regional and community levels throughout San Diego County. Board of Supervisors Policy B-58: Funding of the Community Enhancement Program governs the distribution of these funds and can be viewed on the County’s Website here.

On June 8, 2021, the Board directed that Community Enhancement funding be augmented with $5,000,000 in one-time funds made available to the County under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to provide funding for organizations adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The funds may be used towards supporting public health and response activities associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligible expenditures begin March 3, 2021 through the end of the agreement term.

Of note, nonprofit organizations need to ensure they are registered as a charity in good standing with the California Attorney General AND that they can conduct business in the State of California as defined by the California Secretary of State. Specific details for these eligibility criteria are outlined and highlighted below in the Additional Eligibility Criteria sub-section.

Finally, the following are key points to remember when filling out a Community Enhancement (CE) Program (ARPA) application:

  • ELIGIBILITY: non-profit organizations headquartered and operating in San Diego County that experienced financial hardship as a result of COVID-19 may apply; and a minimum one-year operating history as of February 14, 2020.
  • USE OF FUNDS: Community Enhancement grant funds may NOT be spent on any item not part of the eligible activities in the application; Please fill out the application accordingly.
  • SUBMISSION: Grant applications are submitted directly on the County of San Diego Stimulus Grant webpage 
    https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/stimulusgrant/artsandculturegrant.html 

If an organization has business locations in multiple Supervisorial Districts, an application will need to be submitted for each district.
 

ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATION

Who can apply?
Organizations operating in San Diego County may apply.

Eligible organizations to be determined by the following criteria:

  • Are you a non-profit organization?
  • Are you based and operated in San Diego County, providing local goods and services to the community?
  • Do you have a minimum 1-year operating history as of February 14, 2020?
  • Have you experienced financial hardship as a result of COVID-19? These impacts must be documented, quantifiable, and clearly driven by COVID-19.
  • Have you complied with all State and local public health guidance?
  • Are the funds you’re requesting less than or equal to 50% of your organization’s budget?

Additional Eligibility Criteria
Prior to completing an application, non-profit organizations will need to ensure they are eligible to apply. Eligible applicants must be identified on the Charitable Organization Registry maintained by the California Attorney General (AG) as CURRENT, EXEMPT, or provide evidence that they are not required to register or are in process of being registered. In addition, eligible applicants must have a status of ACTIVE with the California Secretary of State or otherwise show that they are authorized to conduct business in the State.

To prove eligibility, non-profit entities must do the following:

  • California Attorney General: In accordance with the Supervision of Trustees and Fundraisers for Charitable Purposes Act, Government Code § 12580 et seq., most non-profit organizations are required to register with the California Attorney General before soliciting funds. Information regarding the registration process, including the status of already registered charities, is available on the California Attorney General’s website at http://rct.doj.ca.gov/Verification/Web/Search.aspx?facility=Y. Please provide a copy of the screen shot from the Registry Verification Search Tool on the California Attorney General’s website showing a CURRENT or EXEMPT status or other evidence of compliance with the State’s charitable registration requirements managed by the Attorney General. Acceptable evidence includes the following documents (see Appendix for example):

  • Printed screenshot of Registry Verification showing CURRENT or EXEMPT status

  • Printed screenshot of paid Initial or Annual Registration

  • California Secretary of State: In order to receive Small Business Stimulus Grant Program funds from the County, non- profit organizations are required to enter into a grant agreement with the County. To enter into a contract and conduct other business activities in the State, an organization must generally be identified as ACTIVE by the California Secretary of State. Information about how to register your organization with the Secretary of State and the status of registered organizations is available on the Secretary of State’s website at https://businesssearch.sos.ca.gov/. Please provide a copy of the screen shot from the Business Search on the California Secretary of State’s website showing an ACTIVE status or other evidence of authority to conduct business in the State. Acceptable evidence includes the following documents (see Appendix for example):

  • Printed screen shot of California Secretary of State Business Search

  • Printed screen shot of payment/transaction at sos.ca.gov domain to establish or renew ACTIVE status


APPLICATION INFORMATION

Name of Individual Completing Application: The name of the contact person who is part of the organization and can answer questions that may arise during the application process.

What is the legal status of your organization? Please select nonprofit

Business Name: Enter the name as it appears on the IRS letter for the organization and the Secretary of State Business name. This name must match what is submitted on the W-9 form and will be the name that the check (if awarded) will be issued to.

Social Security Number (SSN) or Tax ID Number (TIN) Please select SSN if you will be using your social security number as your identifying number, or TIN if you will be using your Tax ID Number. This must match what is submitted on the W-9 form.

Social Security Number (SSN)/Tax ID Number (TIN) Please input (without dashes) your identifying number. This must match what is submitted on the W-9 form.

Business Sector: Please select the sector that best describes your organization.

  • Construction
  • Education and Health Services
  • Financial Activities
  • Government
  • Information
  • Leisure and Hospitality (Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation; Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation (including fitness centers); Accommodation and Food Service; Accommodation; Food Services and Drinking Places, Restaurants)
  • Manufacturing
  • Mining and Logging
  • Professional and Business Services
  • Trade, Transportation, Utilities (includes Retail)
  • Other Services (includes personal care services)

Phone Number: Enter the organization phone number or the phone number of the primary contact person who is part of the organization and can answer questions that may arise during the application process.

Business Address: Enter the physical address of the organization’s primary place of business.

Mailing Address: Enter the mailing address for the business. If it is the same as the physical address, please mark the box “Mailing Address is the same as Physical Business Address”. This must match the address on the W-9, and will be where the check will be sent.

Email: Enter the email address for the organization or for the organization's contact person who can answer questions that may arise during the application process.

Please retype email address: Please confirm the email address you entered above.

Number of Employees: Enter an amount. The number of employees can include sole proprietorships and independent contractors. Number of employees are full-time equivalents (FTEs).

Prior Year Revenues: Enter the actual amount of revenues recorded for the organization as a whole, not just for the project or activity for which funding is requested. We need financial data for the immediate past year.

Supervisorial District Business is Located In: Please select, using GIS - County of San Diego Supervisorial Districts to determine the correct Supervisorial District that your business is physically located in (use physical address, not mailing address).

Has your business previously received funds from the County? Please select yes if you have received funding from the Small Business Stimulus Grant previously.

  • How many times have you previously received funds from the County? Please enter the number of grants you were awarded.

  • Amount of funds previously received from the County? Please enter the total amount of all grants received by the County.
Has your business previously received funds from other sources? Please select yes if you have received funding from other sources, such as a City, State, or Federal program (e.g. PPP).
  • Amount of funds previously received form the County? Please enter the total amount of all grants received by other sources.
Were you able to open at any time during the shutdown? During any of the shutdown/stay at home orders, was your business able to operate?
 
Are you a minority, women, or veteran owned business? Please select yes if you meet any of those criteria.


ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES 

Eligible Activities: Activities eligible for funding must be a direct result of supporting public health and response activities associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The eligible expenditure period begins March 3, 2021 and goes through the end of the agreement term.

Please select each of the following eligible activities that were driven by the direct response to COVID-19 and put the amount requested for each activity selected:

  • Innovation to promote outdoor business to protect employee and public health. 

  • Payroll/employee retention or supporting employees, including but not limited to Workers Comp Insurance premium and Unemployment Insurance premium increases related to COVID-19, employee paid leave due to COVID-19 illness. 

  • Purchase of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to protect employee and public health and efforts to sanitize the business environment. 

  • Rent or mortgage payments (excluding property tax payments). 

  • Addressing temporary COVID-19 related restrictions on business activity. 

  • Increasing technology capacity to enable alternative work forms. 

  • Creating new marketing campaigns or business plans. 

  • Paying vendor invoices. 

  • Facility cleaning/restoration. 

  • Costs associated with additional training or virtual learning to implement COVID-19 safety measures. 

  • Expenses required to plan for a safe reopening such as expert assessments and/or to conduct research or market surveys. 

The list below provides examples of ineligible activities or costs covered:

  • Expenses for the State share of Medicaid.
  • Damages covered by insurance.
  • Reimbursement to donors for donated items or services.
  • Workforce bonuses other than hazard pay or overtime.
  • Severance pay.
  • Legal settlements.

Total Grant Amount Requested: The total grant amount requested will be automatically calculated here. The grant amount requested will equal the grant amounts requested next to the eligible activity above.

Please describe your business and the products and/or services you provide in San Diego County: Please provide a brief description of your business and the products and/or services that are provided in San Diego County.

Please describe what you will be using the funds for in further detail and the impact COVID-19 has had: The brief description should indicate how the funds would be spent if you were to be awarded a grant for activities impacted by COVID-19. This information will be used to help evaluate your request. The grant funds may not be spent on any item that is not part of the activity description in this application. Further, the amount of grant funds that may be spent for each activity will be limited to the lesser of the amount requested or the amount awarded for each activity. Because the grant may be for less than the total amount requested, be careful to list the proposed activities in order of importance, starting with the highest priority. If awarded, all activities must take place within the established grant period.

How does your business serve the local community? Please describe any activities or ways you serve the local community.

ADDITIONAL BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Please attach documentation for each of the following:

Business License: Provide a copy of your business license. This is not required for businesses in the unincorporated areas or nonprofits.

Attorney General Proof of Eligibility: For nonprofits, please provide a copy of the screen shot from the Registry Verification Search Tool on the California Attorney General’s website showing a CURRENT or EXEMPT status or other evidence of compliance with the State’s charitable registration requirements managed by the Attorney General. Acceptable evidence includes the following documents (see Appendix for example):

  • Printed screenshot of Registry Verification showing CURRENT or EXEMPT status.
  • Printed screenshot of paid Initial or Annual Registration

Secretary of State Proof Eligibility: For nonprofits, please provide a copy of the screen shot from the Business Search on the California Secretary of State’s website showing an ACTIVE status or other evidence of authority to conduct business in the State. Acceptable evidence includes the following documents (see Appendix for example):

  • Printed screen shot of California Secretary of State Business Search
  • Printed screen shot of payment/transaction at sos.ca.gov domain to establish or renew ACTIVE status

2019 Applicant Tax Return: Provide a copy of the 2019 business Federal Tax Return. If business taxes are reported on personal tax return, the business related sections must be reported.

Letter from IRS Showing Federal Tax Identification Number (TIN) aka Employer Identification Number (EIN): Please attach letter showing the organization's federal tax identification number or employer identification number. If not available, please attach a page of the tax return that shows this information.

Monthly Financial Statements: Include the monthly financial statements, including the Balance Sheet and Income Statement, internally prepared as of February 14, 2020. Include the monthly financial statements for each month after the conclusion of your fiscal year or each month following the reporting period reported on your corporate tax return. If the 2019 tax return was provided, please provide monthly financial statements from January 1, 2020 to February 14, 2020 only. Financial statements would be preferably completed in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), but not required.

Detailed Payroll Report as of February 14, 2020: (For businesses with paid employees): Please provide payroll summary from 4th quarter 2019 to February 14, 2020 only.

W-9 Form: This form needs to be completed for businesses that will receive funding. To expedite the process after funding approval, businesses are requested to fill out the form.


GRANT ADMINISTRATOR

This is the primary person who would be responsible for overseeing the expenditure of the funds and authorized to sign the Small Business Stimulus grant agreement on behalf of your business.

Administrator Name: The name of the primary contact person who will be authorized to sign the grant agreement.

Administrator Phone Number: Enter the phone number of the primary contact person who will be responsible for the grant agreement.

Administrator Email Address: Enter the email of the primary contact person who will be responsible for the grant agreement. This will be the email address where the grant agreement will be sent to.


SUBMISSION PROCESS

Verify all the required fields and attachments are completed above. Click ‘Submit’ to submit your grant application. An email will be sent to you with verification that your application successfully came through. Please save the email address and business name, that was used to submit your application, as well as the confirmation number provided to you.

Please note, if your small business has locations in more than one Supervisorial District, a separate grant application will need to be completed for each Supervisorial District with the information required above.

Further questions: Contact the Board of Supervisors offices at:

For general questions, please email stimulusgrant@sdcounty.ca.gov or call (619) 531-4809.

 

IN SUMMARY

Please ensure all the information entered and documentation attached is correct before submitting. Applications will be reviewed to determine eligibility with program activities as noted above under Eligibility Determination and Eligible Activities. 

Final award information will be made available online at: https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/stimulusgrant/grantinfo.html. Successful applicants will be required to enter into a grant agreement with the County.   

Download a copy of the Grant Application Instructions.