The City of Lynchburg CARES Nonprofit Recovery Grant Program is a fund to offer financial assistance to organizations whose operations were either closed or restricted by the Commonwealth of Virginia in response to the novel coronavirus. The program is administered by the Office of Economic Development & Tourism and the Economic Development Authority (EDA) of the City of Lynchburg through an allocation of the City of Lynchburg Coronavirus Relief Funds provided through the federal CARES Act.

Applicants will be required to demonstrate and certify that they are eligible, that they were operational as of March 1, 2020, and that they are suffering negative business impacts from COVID-19.

Application Deadline: Friday, October 30, 2020

 If you have received any other federal CARES support you are eligible for funding from the City of Lynchburg. For example, businesses that received federal support from the Payroll Protection Program or Economic Injury Disaster Loan Emergency Advance must certify that they will use grant funds for other uses.

Please download and complete the W9 form and Financial Statement of Impact under the “Required Documentation” tab on this page, prior to beginning your application.

Online Application

 All fully completed applications will be deemed qualified and eligible for grant funds. If there are more qualified applications than funds, applications will be reviewed in the order in which they were received.

If you have questions or need assistance with your application, please contact us at info@opportunitylynchburg.com or (434) 455-4493.  

Required Documentation

Materials below are provided so that you may prepare in advance. 

IRS W-9 Form

CARES Financial Statement of Impact for NonProfits
*Please download, complete and upload when submitting the online application. For questions, contact info@opportunitylynchburg.com.  

If your organization has received any other assistance related to COVID-19 or CARES Act funding from the United States or the Commonwealth of Virginia, such as the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) or Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), you will be asked to upload a copy of your application. 

Webinar

UPDATE: We have extended the deadline since the recording of this Webinar. The new deadline is October 30, 2020.

Who is Eligible?

Applicant organizations must:

  • Be designated 501c3 nonprofit organization
  • Be physically located in the City of Lynchburg
  • Be in operation March 1, 2020
  • Demonstrate a loss in revenue that can be attributed to COVID-19 by completing a Financial Statement of Impact form
  • Submit a 2019 IRS Form 990
  • List and provide a description of qualifying expenses
  • Submit signed W-9
  • Submit a copy of the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) or Economic Injury Disaster Loan Emergency Advance (EIDL) applications, if applicable
What can the funds be used for?

Grant funds can be used to address business interruption costs. These include, but are not limited to:

  • Employee compensation (including wages and benefits)
  • Operating equipment costs or rental
  • Business inventory and purchases
  • Rent or lease payments
  • PPE or physical improvements such as plexiglass barriers that improve the sanitary conditions of the business
  • Equipment and supplies for disinfecting, sanitizing, and deep cleaning
  • Other business critical operating expenses

Businesses cannot receive funding from any other local, state, or federal assistance program for the same expenses for the same time period that they are requesting support from the City of Lynchburg. For example, businesses that received federal support from the Payroll Protection Program or Economic Injury Disaster Loan Emergency Advance must certify that they will use grant funds for other uses. Grantees will be required to enter into a grant agreement to certify that payment was used for eligible expenses.

How much money could I receive?

Grant amounts will range from $5,000-$15,000 per business, depending on the following criteria:

  • Total Revenue/Operating Budget
  • Revenue Loss
  • of Employees
  • Total Audience Served

The Grant Program Review Team will have flexibility on eligibility and grant award amounts based on total number of eligible applications received.

What wrap around services are available to my business?

The Office of Economic Development & Tourism has partnered with the Small Business Development Center – Lynchburg Region and Centra Health/PCHP/HealthWorks to provide wrap around services and support to participating businesses, including opportunities for one-on-one business counseling, industry specific training and health and safety consultations. Businesses will be able to opt-in to these services in the program application. 

FAQs

The FAQs will be updated as additional questions are received. Please contact info@opportunitylynchburg.com with questions. 

What is the CARES Act?

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act is an economic relief package passed by Congress and subsequently signed into law on March 27th, 2020.  

How long will it take to receive a grant payment?

The first round of applications will be reviewed after September 30, 2020. The 2nd round will be reviewed after October 30, 2020. It may take 6 – 8 weeks to receive payment.  

What if I have received other federal or state support through the CARES Act? 

Organizations cannot receive funding from any other local, state, or federal assistance program for the same expenses for the same time period that they are requesting support from the City of Lynchburg. For example, organizations that received federal support from the Payroll Protection Program or Economic Injury Disaster Loan Emergency Advance must provide a copy of their application or forgiveness form and must certify that they will use grant funds for other uses. Grantees will be required to certify that grant funds are used for eligible expenses.

What is the time period that this funding applies to?

Qualified expenses can begin being counted as early as the issue of Executive Order 53, which was issued March 23, 2020, and go through the present. The above stipulations still apply that this money can not be used for the same expenses in the same time period as other local, state or federal funding.