St. Louis City - Small Business Grant Fund

Read business eligibility and criteria carefully before applying.

The City of St. Louis has established a Small Business Grant Fund to assist small businesses that have been severely impacted by COVID-19. Through the CARES Act, the total amount of the funding available for disbursement is $1,250,000. These grant amounts will be $5,000 each.

Applications will be accepted beginning at 10:00 AM on Monday, November 16 and will be open until grant funds are exhausted. Applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Successfully submitting a grant does not guarantee that it will be funded due to the availability of funds.

Fifty percent (50%) of the available funding will be reserved for businesses located within areas designated as Promise Zones, Opportunity Zones, and Neighborhood Revitalization Stabilization Areas.

200 grants will be targeted for businesses in the hospitality industry. This includes: restaurants, bars, coffee shops, caterers, banquet facilities, entertainment venues, wedding planners, and wedding photographers. Food truck operators are eligible if the operator has a physical facility (kitchen) located within the city.

Grant Eligibility - Businesses must meet all of the below criteria:

  • 25 or fewer full-time equivalent (FTE) employees. Applicants may be required to provide additional documentation of the employee count.
  • Must have a physical presence (owned or leased) in the City of St. Louis. Home-based businesses are eligible if the residence is within City limits.
  • One grant per business location. If an owner has multiple locations, each location can apply, but only one grant will be awarded per location. Each location that applies must have 25 or fewer employees.
  • Businesses that received a grant in the previous round are not eligible for the location that was funded.
  • Must have a current business license as confirmed by the License Collector’s office. Certain categories of businesses that are exempt from having a license are not eligible for this program. See below for the list of ineligible businesses.
  • Must be current on all City taxes and have submitted all City-required reports as confirmed by the Collector of Revenue's office.
  • Must have been significantly impacted by the continued economic challenges created by COVID-19.
  • Business expenses to be paid from these grant proceeds cannot have been previously covered by COVID-19 funding from the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) or Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL). This grant cannot duplicate other federal benefits received.
  • Elected and appointed officials of the City of St. Louis, the St. Louis Development Corporation, and The St. Louis Local Development Company and their immediate family members are not eligible. Immediate family ties include (whether by blood, marriage or adoption) the spouse, parent (including a stepparent), child (including a stepchild), brother, sister (including a stepbrother or stepsister), grandparent, grandchild, and in-laws.
  • Cannot discriminate on any basis per City of St. Louis ordinances

The following Businesses are NOT Eligible:

  • Nonprofit Organizations
  • Churches & Religious Organizations
  • Banks & Financial Institutions
  • Accounting/CPA Firms
  • Law Firms & Attorneys
  • Physicians, Dentists, Surgeons, Optometrists, Chiropractors, & Veterinarians
  • Insurance Brokers & Agents
  • Real Estate Brokers & Sales Agents
  • Property Management Services
  • Architects, Engineers, & Land Surveyors
  • Nursing Homes
  • Daycare Facilities
  • Hotels, Motels, and Bed & Breakfasts (including Air B&B)

When you apply for the grant, be sure to have your current Business License number. It is required. If you have multiple business licenses, ANY ONE of the license numbers is sufficient. The license should state that it is valid for the period June 1, 2020 through May 31, 2021. License numbers from a previous year are not sufficient.

Note that applications will NOT be approved for any business that has any outstanding issues with the Collector of Revenue. This includes being current on all payments and submission of all required reports. (The E234 Earnings Tax Report is a frequent reason for businesses failing to receive approval.) All personal property taxes must also be paid.

You are strongly encouraged to contact the Collector of Revenue if you are not sure about your standing. If your application is rejected because of any delinquencies, you will need to apply again after resolving any outstanding issues.

Collector of Revenue City of St. Louis
City Hall
1200 Market Street
Room 110
St. Louis, MO 63103
Phone: 314 622-4111
Fax: 314 622-4413
https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/collector/

Applicants may be required to provide additional documentation of their employee total by providing a copy of one of the following:

  • 2019 Federal IRS W-3 Form - Transmittal of Wage and Tax Statements
  • Form 941 for 2020: Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return, Quarter ending 6/30/2020 or 9/30/2020
  • Collector of Revenue Form W-10 Quarterly Earnings Tax Return, Quarter ending 3/31/2020, 6/20/2020, or 9/30/2020.

Please direct any questions about this grant program to sldc-grants@stlouis-mo.gov.

 

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