The City of Independence
Local Small Business Assistance Program

For information on a closed grant program please email grants@ccfkansascity.org

Program Update:

The City of Independence Small Business Assistance Program has CLOSED. The program was a great success and funded nine businesses that used the funds to create or retain 17 jobs. Read the full announcement of the program’s summary HERE.

 City of Independence CDBG Local Small Business Assistance Program

This local small business grant fund opened on Tuesday, August 17, 2021 and closed on Friday, September 3, 2021. Designed to provide direct assistance to small businesses experiencing continuing negative impacts as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Independence CDBG Local Small Business Assistance Program is administered by the Community Capital Fund (CCF) in partnership with the City of Independence, Missouri and will award grants ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 to small businesses located in Independence, Missouri, which may not qualify for other forms of financial relief.

Grants through the City of Independence CDBG Local Small Business Assistance Program will provide immediate liquidity to businesses that are struggling with capital and payroll expenses, low demand, and other challenges associated with the ongoing economic effects of the pandemic and the reopening process. Funds may be used to pay rent, lease or mortgage expenses where the business operates, provided those costs are not paid by insurance or by other local, State, Federal, or private programs. Grant funds will be paid directly to the rent, lease or mortgage holder on behalf of the eligible business.

Funding for this new small business grant program is made available through an additional allocation of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the CARES Act, which Congress approved on March 27, 2020 to allocate $5 billion to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the impacts of the coronavirus. 

Read the full announcement here.

 
 

Who could apply.

Eligibility Criteria for the City of Independence CDBG Local Small Business Assistance Program:

To qualify for the City of Independence CDBG Local Small Business Assistance Program, applicants needed to:

  1. Submit a completed application;

  2. Be based in the City of Independence, Missouri limits, and have a physical brick and mortar location in which they were located on or before March 1, 2020 (home-based businesses are not eligible);

  3. Be a for-profit corporation, LLC, partnership, or sole proprietorship (business must be locally owned);

  4. Employ one (1) to twenty (20) full-time equivalent (FTE) employees;

  5. Commit to retaining or creating jobs for low to moderate- income people. 51% or more of the full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs retained or created must be for persons from low to moderate-income households defined by HUD;

  6. Prove the business is legally operating and current on State and Local taxes;

  7. Be in good standing with the State of Missouri;

  8. Be in good standing in the City of Independence, Missouri, including no unpaid code enforcement liens or open code enforcement cases and not operating in violation of any Federal, State, or local laws;

  9. Not currently in bankruptcy and have not filed for bankruptcy in the last 12 months;

  10. Have no conflict of interest with the City of Independence, Missouri (e.g., City of Independence elected officials and their immediate family members, or City of Independence staff cannot have ownership or financial interest in the assisted business, or be an employee of the assisted business); and,

  11. Can demonstrate a loss of income since March 1, 2020, due to the necessary measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prioritization Process for the City of Independence CDBG Local Small Business Assistance Program:

  1. The business is woman- or minority-owned

  2. The business can document the number of employees impacted by the potential grant funds, or other criteria permissible by HUD and CDBG/CDBG-CV regulations and guidelines;

  3. The business has ten (10) or fewer employees and $750,000 or less in annual revenues;

  4. The business is in an industry/sector deemed as “non-essential,” due to the required response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These industries/sectors include, but are not limited to, retail, food service, arts and entertainment, hospitality, healthcare not directly involved in the COVID-19 response, fitness, personal service, and transportation; and,

  5. The business is located in one of the lowest-income areas of the City of Independence, Missouri, which are concentrated in the northern half of the city where poverty rates range from 20-60%. These areas are predominately concentrated in the areas west of Noland Road, as well as in Northeast Independence near MO-291 and 24-Highway where the Hawthorne Place multi-family subsidized apartment complex is home to more than 600 very low-income families.

Non-profit organizations, medical offices, and home-based businesses are not eligible. Eligible businesses cannot be corporately owned, or publicly traded. Local franchises are eligible.

Use of funds.

Funds from the City of Independence CDGB Local Small Business Assistance Program may be used to pay rent, lease or mortgage expenses where the business operates, provided those costs are not paid by insurance or by other local, State, Federal, or private programs. Grant funds will be paid directly to the rent, lease or mortgage holder on behalf of the eligible business.

Grants will range between $5,000 and $20,000. Repayment is not required if all conditions are met.