We’re proud to have been selected to partner with El Paso County to help administer the El Paso County Regional Business Relief Fund through which, small businesses and nonprofit organizations located within the county received COVID-19 grant assistance up to $20,000.
El Paso County opened this competitive grant application process for this multi-million dollar fund as part of their Response, Recovery, Resiliency efforts. Upon the closure of the application period, CEF provided scoring results to the El Paso County Economic Development Oversight Committee who then evaluated the scores to determine the grantees and amount of grant awards, as well as administer the distribution of funds via check.
KRDO: El Paso County offers businesses up to $20,000 in grant money
The Colorado Springs Business Journal: County allocates CARES Act funds to small business, nonprofits
Colorado Springs Indy: Funds available to small businesses, nonprofits for pandemic relief
Special thanks to the Pikes Peak SBDC for their partnership in promoting this program and hosting our informational webinars.
El Paso County Businesses
in Grant
Assistance
El Paso County Jobs Saved
Local Economic Output Protected
The El Paso County Regional Business Relief Fund (RBRF) saved up to 11,789 jobs and protected $1.1 billion in local economic output, according to a report just released by Summit Economics. Read more about the impact the fund had on the El Paso County community via the link below.
Son Bride
Ranch
"It really is a blessing and great opportunity for those who are making a difference with their livelihoods invested. Thank you all for even making us a consideration."
Discover
Health, LLC
"Top notch program! From the introductory teleconference to the completion of the application, everything was conducted without a hitch. This is a model for all such programs to follow. Thank you for such outstanding work to make this happen!"
Pikes Perk Coffee
& Tea House
"I would simply like to share my appreciation for your efforts towards helping the small businesses of our community. I believe more and more small businesses will disappear without your assistance. Thank you."
In response to the devastating effects COVID-19 has had on our community’s small businesses and nonprofit organizations, El Paso County has created the El Paso County Regional Business Relief Fund. El Paso County has chosen to open a competitive grant application process for small businesses and nonprofit organizations, providing up to $20,000 of grant assistance to assist them with their business-related costs incurred due to the COVID-19 economic disruption such as: Rent/Mortgage/Utility Payments; Employee Payroll; Accounts Payable and Other Fixed Debt Costs; and Personal Protection Equipment. Under the CARES Act, the federal funds may only be used to cover costs that are necessary economic recovery expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency with respect to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19); and were incurred no earlier than March 1, 2020.
Applications for this Regional Business Relief Fund will be collected, analyzed, and scored by Colorado Enterprise Fund, an organization with over 40 years of experience in funding and supporting small businesses in Colorado, with final evaluation and grant award decisions made by El Paso County’s Economic Development Oversight Committee.
The El Paso County Regional Business Relief Fund will accept applications beginning August 12, 2020 at 8:00 AM through September 7, 2020 at 5:00 PM.
The following bulleted list defines eligibility requirements:
El Paso County Regional Business Relief Fund is a grant program, so it does not have to be repaid. However, this grant source should be noted as income and all taxes associated with the acceptance and/or usage of grant awards are the sole responsibility of the grantee, and the grantee shall comply with all applicable federal, state, local laws, executive orders, rules, and regulations in connection with acceptance and/or usage of grant funds.
After all the applications are thoroughly evaluated, you will receive an email directly from El Paso County’s Economic Development Department informing you of your status. If you are selected as a grant recipient, this email communication will specify the amount of your award alongside other pertinent details necessary for accepting the award. Regardless of award status all applicants will receive notification from Colorado Enterprise Fund.
The documents required for this application are the following:
Please note: You will have the opportunity to save and return to complete your application at any time through the application process, but all required documents must be submitted with the application to be considered for a grant award.
If you do not have one or more of the documents required for completion of the application, please first reference the question above that provides additional documentation requirements if your business cannot provide one of the required documents. If the above question does not address your specific situation, please reach out to the Colorado Enterprise Fund team to receive guidance on the appropriate documentation to provide.
Please Note: Within the application, there is a free-form box in which your business can attach additional documentation and explanations to advocate for your business’ need of grant assistance in the event that you believe it will help to clarify or strengthen your application.
For the El Paso County Regional Business Relief Fund, only nonprofit organizations with 501c3 status are eligible to apply.
The timeline for the grant program is as follows:
The El Paso County Regional Business Relief Fund grant assistance exists to assist businesses and nonprofit organizations with their business-related costs incurred due to the COVID-19 economic disruption such as:
Please Note: El Paso County Regional Business Relief Fund grant funds are not to be used for any payment of taxes.