Washington Small Business Emergency Grant

April 7, 2020

Gov. Inslee created a new Working Washington Small Business Emergency Grant program to help small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. The grant program will provide a limited number of businesses in Washington with a grant up to $10,000.

Eligibility:

Applicants should have been in business for at least one year.

Businesses with up to 10 full-time employees (FTEs) may apply for a one-time grant of up to $10,000.

Applicants are eligible to receive one Working Washington Grant award during the current budget cycle, which ends June 6, 2020.

Application Process:

Small businesses that qualify for the grant program will submit applications through their local county/regional economic development organizations.

Emails for submitting completed applications to these economic development organizations are listed to the right.

County/regional economic development organizations will prioritize applications based on the severity of the impact the business is facing due to COVID-19, including being forced to close by the government-mandated closures, social distancing measures, or illness.

Recommended awards will be sent to the Department of Commerce for review and vetting.

Qualifying applications will be forwarded to the governor for review and signature.

Your local Associate Economic Development (ADO) will administer approved awards to the company.

Awards will be approved on a case-by-case basis and are dependent on the availability of funds. The objective is to support businesses through the crisis and enable them to retain as many employees as possible.

How to Apply:

To complete the application form, click here, or to find your appropriate economic development organization, visit the Washington state Department of Commerce.

UPDATE 4/8/2020: SBA has decided to implement a $1,000 cap per employee on the advance, up to a maximum of $10,000. So, a business with 3 employees, would be eligible to receive only $3,000 up front, as opposed to the originally stated $10,000. Learn more »