Downtown & Short North Arts District Small Business Response & Recovery Grant Program

Downtown & Short North Arts District Small Business Response & Recovery Grant Program

On Monday, November 23, Columbus City Council passed legislation authorizing the Short North Alliance alongside the Capital Crossroads and Discovery Special Improvement Districts to manage and distribute $2 million in CARES grant funding to support small businesses in the Downtown and the Short North Arts District areas. These funds will be used to offer a grant program for affected small businesses, with $1 million dedicated to Short North Arts District small businesses and $1 million to help those Downtown. The Downtown & Short North Arts District Small Business Response & Recovery Grant Program is meant to serve local small businesses that have been negatively impacted by COVID-19 and who have not already received funding from the City of Columbus Small Business Financial Assistance Program or the Columbus-Franklin County COVID-19 Small Business Response and Recovery Fund.

APPLICATION WINDOW IS CLOSED

  • APPLICATION WINDOW: Businesses can apply starting on Tuesday, December 1 at 10 a.m. through Thursday, December 3 at 5 p.m.
  • ACCESS APPLICATION: The link to the application will be provided here on Tuesday, December 1 at 10 a.m.
  • PREPARE YOUR APPLICATION: View a complete list of application prompts here.
  • FULL PROGRAM OVERVIEW + BUSINESS ELIGIBILITY + RULES + OBLIGATIONS: View full program details, eligibility requirements, award process, and obligations here

BUSINESSES ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

  1. Your business has not already received funding from the City of Columbus Small Business Financial Assistance Program and/or the Columbus-Franklin County COVID-19 Small Business Response and Recovery Fund (this does NOT include Technical Assistance, PPE, and/or EIDL funding)
  2. Your business has 25 employees or less
  3. Your business is able to claim a loss of 25% or more due to COVID-19
  4. Your business has a physical brick and mortar store that’s located within the Short North Area A OR Downtown District B, as mapped here
  5. Your business is locally owned, headquartered or franchised, or Ohio-based
  6. Your business does not currently have any COVID-19-related infractions
  7. Your business does not currently owe outstanding income tax to the City of Columbus or will work to become compliant within a defined period by the City of Columbus.
  8. You fully intend to continue operating your business as permitted in the future
  9. Non-profit organizations are not eligible

QUESTIONS?

Short North Area businesses should contact the Short North Alliance at 614-299-8050 or Info@ShortNorth.org; Downtown businesses should contact Sam Sharkey at 740-641-7151, or sksharkey@sidservices.com.

This program is a collaboration between the City of Columbus, Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District, and the Short North Alliance. Program eligibility standards were determined by the City of Columbus under guidelines required by the Federal CARES Act. Applications are being collected by the Short North Alliance and funding is being dispersed by Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District. Grants will be awarded on a rolling basis until funds are expended.