Pflugerville Cares Small Business Grant Program - Business & Community Lenders of Texas

Applications for this program are closed. There are no additional funds available currently.

You may call BCL at (737) 241-2230 if you have questions. Please reference Pflugerville Cares Small Business Grant Program when calling.

Eligibility Guidelines & Qualified Expenses

What Businesses Are Eligible?

Eligible Businesses:

For-profit businesses operating since March 1, 2019, and still in business at the time of the application submittal, and that intend to remain open indefinitely
Business located within the City of Pflugerville city limits
Must have a Social Security Number (SSN), Employer Identification Number (EIN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN).
Must demonstrate a loss of at least 25% of gross income for the period beginning March 3, 2021 through December 31, 2024 due to negative impact related to the COVID‐19 pandemic.
Must have filed business tax returns for tax years, 2019, 2020, and 2021. If taxes have not been filed for 2021, a copy of a filed extension must be provided along with interim financial statement (profit and loss, balance sheet).
Applicant Business is current with property taxes and City fees or has a payment plan in place with County and/or City as of March 3, 2021.

All eligibility requirements will be verified through application documents. Ineligible applicants will be provided with an opportunity to submit an appeal three calendar days from their notification of ineligibility.

Grant applicants are only eligible to receive one grant award for the Pflugerville Cares Small Business Grant program. Grantee who received an award during the first phase of the program in 2020 are not eligible to receive an award from the second phase. For businesses with multiple locations, only employment and revenue figures for the City of Pflugerville location can be used to qualify for a grant under the Program, and all grant funds received must be used only to support Pflugerville business operations. Multiple locations within Pflugerville operating under a single business entity will be considered one business for the purposes of the Program.

Ineligible Businesses:

Businesses operating location is outside of the City of Pflugerville incorporated limits
Non‐profit organizations
Businesses that have filed for bankruptcy as of January 2020 or have currently in bankruptcy
Pyramid concerns
Gambling concerns, including casinos, racing operations or other activities whose purpose involves gambling
Pawn shops
Real estate developers
Real estate businesses (single family, multi‐family, commercial, short term rental)
Investors
Government entities/departments
Hobby businesses
Sexually oriented businesses (live performances, product sales, items, or materials)
Business started on or after March 2, 2019
Concerns engaged in illegal activities
Political and lobbying concerns
Religious organizations
Business suspended or debarred from doing work with the federal government
Predatory lending businesses (businesses that provide loans for more than legal maximum or more than 10% per annum including all interest, fees and charges)
Business that are unable to show proof of consistent operations via business tax returns

What Expenses Can Be Reimbursed?

Grant funds can be used to support the cost of business interruption to the COVID-19 because of required closures, voluntary closures to promote physical distancing, or decreased customer demand due to COVID-19.

Eligible Expenses:

Machinery and equipment
Payroll expenses
Vendor and Supplier payments
Rent, lease, or mortgage payment for real property used for business purposes
Utility (gas & electric only) payments for business properties
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and/or sanitation supplies and equipment
Improvements to business location to accommodate COVID‐19 sanitation requirement, distancing, drive up windows, temporary closure materials, and employee testing
Business Equipment – Rent, lease, or purchase payment for business equipment such as delivery vehicles, food truck, kitchen equipment, technology, communications systems, Point of Sale equipment
New or expanded technology applications, software, and Wi‐Fi services
Marketing and advertising expenses due to COVID‐19
Reestablishment of brick-and-mortar presence in the City of Pflugerville

Ineligible Expenses:

Lobbying for any purpose
Repayment of loans or debt unrelated to needs created by COVID-19 disaster and Eligible Uses of Grant Proceeds
Payment of partial mortgage/utility costs based on IRS rules for home-based businesses
Certain taxes and fees (such as property taxes, payroll taxes, licensing fees, etc.)
Any other costs that are determined ineligible through continued release of federal guidance

What Else Should I know?

Funding Tiers

Funding is distributed on a tiered basis depending on the number of employees. Maximum funding amounts are as follows:

Tier 1: Applicants with 0 to 14 full-time equivalent employees may qualify for up to $25,000
Tier 2: Applicants with 15 to 40 full-time equivalent employees may qualify for up to $50,000
Tier 3: Applicants with 41 or more full-time equivalent employees may qualify for up to $75,000

One Year Performance Reporting

Grantees are expected to make best efforts to keep business operating in Pflugerville for one year from execution of grant agreement. Participation in a one-year follow-up survey will be required of all grantees.

Applications are open now through June 30th, and funds will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis until exhausted.

Apply Here!

FAQs

Funding

How much funding will I receive?
All eligible expenses up to the amount determined by your funding tier will be reimbursed for expenses from March 3, 2021, to December 31, 2024.

For what time period are expenses eligible?
You may request reimbursement for eligible expenses from March 3, 2021, to December 31, 2024.

What expenses are eligible?

Machinery and equipment
Payroll expenses
Vendor and Supplier payments
Rent, lease, or mortgage payment for real property used for business purposes
Utility (gas & electric only) payments for business properties
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and/or sanitation supplies and equipment
Improvements to business location to accommodate COVID‐19 sanitation requirement, distancing, drive up windows, temporary closure materials, and employee testing
Business Equipment – Rent, lease, or purchase payment for business equipment such as delivery vehicles, food truck, kitchen equipment, technology, communications systems, Point of Sale equipment
New or expanded technology applications, software, and Wi‐Fi services
Marketing and advertising expenses due to COVID‐19
Reestablishment of brick-and-mortar presence in the City of Pflugerville

Must expenses be new expenses directly related to COVID-19 to be able to be eligible?
They must be directly related to COVID-19 impacts or solutions to address business changes related to COVID-19.

When will I receive funding?
Decisions around who receives an award will be made after review of your application. Please allow up to 2-3 weeks for application review. Funds will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis until they are exhausted.

How long will reimbursement take?
Approximately 60 days from a correct invoice.

Am I required to keep the same number of employees to stay eligible?
No, this program is not dependent on keeping employees on staff.

What if I don’t have cash flow now to make these purchases and be reimbursed later?
If you have expenses that can be reimbursed from March 3, 2021, that may provide the needed cash flow to provide funding to make purchases. Those purchases, if an eligible use, can be requested in a subsequent month’s reimbursement request.

I spent a lot of money on some of these things before applying for this grant.
That’s okay! Eligible expenses can be reimbursed going back to March 3, 2021, with appropriate documentation.

I run my business from my home. Can I use this program for my home mortgage or utilities?
No. Only properties that are used exclusively for business purposes are eligible for reimbursement of commercial property mortgage, rent, and utility costs.

What if I lose my receipts / pay with cash?
Documentation is required for reimbursement.

Geographic Eligibility

What if my business is in Pflugerville but I live somewhere else?
It depends. If you have a storefront, the business location must be within Pflugerville. If your business does not have a storefront, we will review where your business is officially registered.

Please note, we may ask additional questions or request additional documentation to verify geographic eligibility.

What if my business is in the eligible area, but my service area is outside of Pflugerville?
Your service area must include Pflugerville but may extend beyond Pflugerville.

What Businesses Are Eligible?

What Expenses Can Be Reimbursed?

What Else Should I know?

Funding

Geographic Eligibility

Other Eligibility Questions