The City of Fort Lauderdale is committed to helping our residents and businesses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The City recognizes that this pandemic has caused extreme hardship for many of the City’s residents and business and continues to leverage resources and partnerships to assist those in need.
The City, in partnership with Broward County, is receiving nearly $4 million of the $30 million in federal funding the Board of County Commissioners allocated to support the Broward County CARES Act Small Business and Non-Profit Assistance Grant Program. The City will be awarding a total of $2.3 million in small business grants through the program, which is being administered by the County’s Office of Economic and Small Business Development.
Eligible Fort Lauderdale businesses with 20 employees or less and non-profits with 25 employees or less can apply for up to $5,000, $10,000 and $15,000 in one-time grants for costs incurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. These funds are not a loan and do not have to be paid back.
According to Sandy-Michael McDonald, Director of Office of Economic and Small Business Development, “For the profit businesses, priority will be given to small businesses located in six of the County’s most economically distressed zip codes and businesses that have not previously received any federal COVID-19-related business assistance funding, such as the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), or the State of Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan.” For non-profits, priority will be given to those that have also not received prior COVID-19-related financial assistance and have tried to continue providing services during the pandemic.
Interested business owners and non-profits are encouraged to visit the County’s website at Broward.org/cares to learn more about the grant program, eligibility criteria, application requirements, the selection and award process, and free technical assistance.
Technical Assistance
Broward County will offer free technical assistance, by appointment only, to assist grant applicants. Up to 90 minutes of technical advisory services will be provided to all potential applicants seeking assistance, which covers:
*Application process
*Pre/post grant terms and requirements
*Assembling the necessary documentation to meet the application requirements
Please schedule appointments for technical assistance through Calendly via the County’s grant website.
Residential Grant
The City will also be awarding $1.6 million in residential grants through the Broward CARES Act. The residential component of the CARES Act program is being administered by Broward County’s Family Success Centers. For more information visit the Rental Assistance Page on the County website.
