Business can qualify for one of three different grants:

• Kickstart Small Business Grant – up to $10,000 in working capital, for businesses with up to $3 million in annual revenue
• Back to Work Grant – up to $2,000 per employee in payroll incentives to hire or rehire workers, for businesses with up to $20 million in annual revenue
• Safe at Work Grant – up to $10,000 matching reimbursement for the cost of qualifying workplace improvements directly related to mitigating the spread of COVID-19, for businesses with up to $20 million in annual revenue

Beginning on Monday, June 22, business owners can review the grant details and set up a username and password in the grant portal.

Hillsborough County’s Rapid Response Recovery Program (R3) is designed to maximize the impact of the federal CARES Act funding. The initiative aims to create programs that target communities in the greatest need, simplify the application process for businesses, and quickly inject strategic funding that can do the most economic good in the fastest timeframe.

Application periods will be phased in to give a head start to the smallest and most economically vulnerable businesses in our community. Business owners can use HCFLGov.net/R3Biz to look up their address to find out if they are in an economically distressed area.

Business owners can apply for grants for multiple businesses, but each business can only get one grant from Hillsborough County.

The first phase of grant applications for businesses in economically distressed areas opens on June 30. Grant money is set aside for businesses in each phase of the R3 rollout, so businesses outside of these areas will still have an opportunity to apply. In the first phase, businesses applying for the Kick Start Small Business grant with annual revenue of less than $1 million in these economically distressed areas can apply. Additionally, in the first phase, businesses applying for the Back to Work and Safe at Work grants with annual revenue of less than $5 million in these economically distressed areas can apply.

The second phase will begin two weeks later and will be available to qualifying Hillsborough businesses located anywhere in the County that meet the revenue qualifications of the first phase.

The third phase will begin about two weeks after the second. The Kick Start Small Business grant will be available to all qualifying Hillsborough County businesses with revenue under $3 million. Businesses applying for the Back to Work and Safe at Work grants with annual revenue of less than $20 million can apply.

Beginning on June 22, business owners can go to the portal for a comprehensive list of frequently asked questions. Hillsborough County’s Entrepreneur Collaborative Center business consultants will be available by appointment to help small business owners determine which grant might be best for them.