City of Paramount
Small Business Assistance Grant
Program Overview
This opportunity will provide grants of up to $20,000 to City of Paramount businesses to assist those negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Businesses that have previously received grants from the City of Paramount do not qualify.
Grant Amount: up to $20,000
NEED SUPPORT?
If you need help with this online application, please email us at forward-support@forwardplatform.com or call us at 1-855-582-3973. The hours for the support line are as follows: 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM Monday-Friday.
General Timeline
The application window has now closed.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicant must meet all of the following requirements to be eligible for assistance:
- Must be located and operating within the boundaries of Paramount, California (address cannot be a PO Box or an address that leads to a shipping center as their physical location).
- Must have a current City of Paramount business license (Active or delinquent, not closed or expired).
- Must have been in operation prior to December 31, 2021.
- Must have less than 20 employees.
- Corporations, limited liability companies and limited partnerships must have an “ACTIVE” status with the California Secretary of State. Check your license status here, prior to applying.
- Must NOT have an active Code Enforcement case.
- Must be a for profit business.
- Must have less than $1 million in gross revenue in 2020 or 2021.
- Must have experienced financial hardship as a result of COVID-19 and the related health and safety restrictions, such as business interruptions or closures incurred due to the pandemic. Must be willing to self-attest under penalty of perjury that the business experienced financial hardship. Grant recipients may be subject to an audit administered by the City to verify financial hardship.
Required Documents
The following documents will be used to verify the above eligibility:
Copy of photo ID to verify identity. Examples of eligible forms of ID include the following:
Valid Driver’s License
Birth Certificate
State-issued Identification Card
Student Identification Card
Military Identification Card
Passport or Passport Card
2020 or 2021 tax returns showing gross revenue less than $1 million. Upload all pages of a business tax return or a personal tax return that includes a complete Schedule C or other proof of gross revenue.
Rent/Utility/Payroll arrears “Past due” notice, which clearly shows address and business name.
Payroll documentation showing number of employees.
Current City of Paramount business license (Active or delinquent, not closed or expired).
Corporations, limited liability companies and limited partnerships must have an “ACTIVE” status with the California Secretary of State. Check your license status here, prior to applying.
Proof to repair damages, including pictures of damages or quotes received from vendors.
You can store documents in your profile so that you can easily find them to include in your applications. These file formats are supported: .doc, .docx, .gif, .jpeg, .jpg, .pdf, .png, .xls, and .xlsx
Eligible Uses of Funds
Recipients will be required to specify the manner in which they intend to use grant funding from the following eligible uses:
- Overhead costs.
- Costs associated with remaining open, and meeting required safety protocols.
- Costs adjusting operations to respond to new methods of providing services.
- Rent relief or payment of back utilities.
- Costs to retain employees (i.e. payroll, sick leave, etc.).
- Marketing and promotional events.
- Furniture, fixtures, equipment.
- Repairs and expenses related to theft/vandalism/property damage (self-certification to be notarized).
Technology hardware and digital resources.
Frequently Asked Questions
An Employer Identification Number (EIN) is also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number (TIN) and is used to identify a business entity. Generally, businesses need an EIN. Like a Social Security number, the EIN number is nine digits long and assigned by the federal government. The IRS uses the number to identify taxpayers who are required to file various business tax returns.
Yes. You will receive an email confirmation from forward-notification@forwardplatform.com once your application is received. Check your spam/junk folder if you do not receive an email shortly after submitting your application.
No. However, if you need to correct an error, please get in touch with forward-support@forwardplatform.com, and our team can work with you to provide additional and correct information to your application.
The FORWARD Technical Support will be provided by phone and/or email to any applicants with questions related to the FORWARD platform. For technical support, call (855) 582-3973 or email forward-support@forwardplatform.com. The hours for the support line are as follows: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM Monday-Friday.
The City of Paramount has partnered with FORWARD to manage the application process and distribute awards. FORWARD is a Washington state technology company that powers the FORWARD application portal. FORWARD offers application services for programs such as this nationwide.
FORWARD Online Application Tutorials
FORWARD Online Application Tutorials
FORWARD is administering the Small Business Assistance Grant on behalf of the City of Paramount.
ABOUT FORWARD
FORWARD is the leading Integrated Program Administration solution that incorporates all essential components, people and technology into a single streamlined workflow to effectively, securely, and equitably administer critical resources to help communities thrive.