Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
City Businesses Get More Time to Apply for COVID Impact Money. County Applications Soar.
David Website Replacement
By David Taub, Senior Reporter
Published 5 years ago on
June 8, 2020

Share

Fresno businesses now have until the end of Friday to submit applications to receive up to a $10,000 grant.

The city extended its Save Our Small Businesses Act application process for one week.

This is the second round of funding for the program. Councilman Mike Karbassi, who helped author the program, said the extension will allow more businesses to apply.

“There was some confusion because some people still didn’t realize they have to reapply. So we’ve had employees going all around the city going to small businesses and asking them to please apply,” Karbassi said.

Second Round of Funding

The first round, using $750,000 from the general fund was a forgivable 0% interest loan. Using a lottery system, the city awarded 118 small businesses $5,000 (for businesses five employees or fewer) and $10,000 (six or more).

This time, the city is using $2 million from federal funding as a grant — meaning no repayment is required. Grants will still use the same $10,000/$5,000 format.

There are more restrictions the second time around. Karbassi said this was to prioritize businesses that were deemed non-essential, and could not open because of city orders related to the pandemic.

The restrictions include the type of business eligible, not receiving relief funds from another source, and experience at least a 25% loss of revenue because of COVID-19.

“There were some businesses that were totally shut down and couldn’t open at all. I would say they were hit a lot harder because they couldn’t bring in any income,” Karbassi said. “The main goal of the Save Our Small Businesses Act is to actually save businesses. We want to make sure we offer that lifeboat to those businesses that were the hardest hit.”

Eligibility information and applications can be found here.

County Program Lottery Today

A similar program administered by Fresno County received 1,359 applicants for 1,000 available grants, county officials said Monday.

As the application deadline neared last week,  only 650 businesses had sought out the funds, the county said. In the waning days of the application period, however, the number of applications more than doubled.

A county spokesman says a lottery will take place today to select the businesses that will receive grants of up to $5,000.

Funding for the county’s $5 million program is coming from the federal CARES Act passed by Congress in March.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Supreme Court Turns Down Challenge to Ban on Semiautomatic Rifles

DON'T MISS

1 Officer Killed, 1 Wounded and Another Man Dead in Los Angeles County Shooting

DON'T MISS

RFK Jr. Says Autism ‘Destroys’ Families. Here’s What Those Families Want You to Know

DON'T MISS

California Plan to Ban Most Plants Within 5 Feet of Homes for Wildfire Safety

DON'T MISS

Ukraine and Russia End Their Latest Round of Direct Peace Talks in Istanbul

DON'T MISS

Man Attacks Colorado Crowd With Firebombs, 8 People Injured

DON'T MISS

US Construction Spending Falls in April on Weakness in Single-Family Housing Projects

DON'T MISS

Wall Street Opens Lower After Trump’s Steel Tariff Threat

DON'T MISS

Smoke Shops, City Hall Will Meet in Courtroom Showdown

DON'T MISS

American Doctors Are Moving to Canada To Escape the Trump Administration

UP NEXT

How in the World Did Fresno End Up on Trump’s Sanctuary Cities List?

UP NEXT

Loretta Swit, Emmy-winner Who Played Houlihan on Pioneering TV Series ‘M.A.S.H.,’ Has Died at 87

UP NEXT

California School Awards Dinner at Disneyland Comes With Hefty Price Tag

UP NEXT

1 in 4 US Children Have Parents With Substance Use Disorder, Study Finds

UP NEXT

Dozens Sickened in Expanding Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Recalled Cucumbers

UP NEXT

Fresno Unified Communications Boss on Leave After AI-Generated FTA Dossier Debacle

UP NEXT

Speaker Johnson Raises Campaign Money in Fresno

UP NEXT

‘I’m Really Scared’: Elderly and Disabled Californians Could Lose Medi-Cal Over $2,000 Limit

UP NEXT

Business Insider Cuts 21% of Workforce, Memo Shows

UP NEXT

CA Changes Track-and-Field Championships After Trans Athlete’s Success. What to Know

David Taub,
Senior Reporter
Curiosity drives David Taub. The award-winning journalist might be shy, but feels mighty with a recorder in his hand. He doesn't see it his job to "hold public officials accountable," but does see it to provide readers (and voters) the information needed to make intelligent choices. Taub has been honored with several writing awards from the California News Publishers Association. He's just happy to have his stories read. Joining GV Wire in 2016, Taub covers politics, government and elections, mainly in the Fresno/Clovis area. He also writes columns about local eateries (Appetite for Fresno), pro wrestling (Off the Bottom Rope), and media (Media Man). Prior to joining the online news source, Taub worked as a radio producer for KMJ and PowerTalk 96.7 in Fresno. He also worked as an assignment editor for KCOY-TV in Santa Maria, California, and KSEE-TV in Fresno. He has also worked behind the scenes for several sports broadcasts, including the NCAA basketball tournament, and the Super Bowl. When not spending time with his family, Taub loves to officially score Fresno Grizzlies games. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Taub is a die-hard Giants and 49ers fan. He graduated from the University of Michigan with dual degrees in communications and political science. Go Blue! You can contact David at 559-492-4037 or at Send an Email

California Plan to Ban Most Plants Within 5 Feet of Homes for Wildfire Safety

33 minutes ago

Ukraine and Russia End Their Latest Round of Direct Peace Talks in Istanbul

39 minutes ago

Man Attacks Colorado Crowd With Firebombs, 8 People Injured

43 minutes ago

US Construction Spending Falls in April on Weakness in Single-Family Housing Projects

1 hour ago

Wall Street Opens Lower After Trump’s Steel Tariff Threat

1 hour ago

Smoke Shops, City Hall Will Meet in Courtroom Showdown

1 hour ago

American Doctors Are Moving to Canada To Escape the Trump Administration

1 hour ago

Townsizing? Land Snorkeling? A User’s Guide to the Latest Travel Lingo

1 day ago

Trump Trade War Has Already Had Huge Effect on California Ports

1 day ago

Cambodian American Chefs Are Finding Success and Raising Their Culture’s Profile. On Their Terms

1 day ago

Supreme Court Turns Down Challenge to Ban on Semiautomatic Rifles

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court announced Monday that it would not hear a major Second Amendment challenge to a Maryland law banning semiauto...

5 minutes ago

A ticket reading "sold" hangs from an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle in Pasadena, Md., Jan. 14, 2013. The Supreme Court announced on Monday that it would not hear a major Second Amendment challenge to a Maryland law banning semiautomatic rifles like the AR-15. As is the court’s practice, its brief order gave no reasons. (Steve Ruark/The New York Times)
5 minutes ago

Supreme Court Turns Down Challenge to Ban on Semiautomatic Rifles

L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna addresses the media in Castaic, Calif, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. (AP File)
26 minutes ago

1 Officer Killed, 1 Wounded and Another Man Dead in Los Angeles County Shooting

Eileen Lamb, from left, who was diagnosed with autism as an adult, watches over her children, Charlie Lamb and Jude, right, who also have autism, and daughter Billie, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (AP/Eric Gay)
29 minutes ago

RFK Jr. Says Autism ‘Destroys’ Families. Here’s What Those Families Want You to Know

33 minutes ago

California Plan to Ban Most Plants Within 5 Feet of Homes for Wildfire Safety

In this photo released by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, Russian and Ukrainian delegations attend talks at the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, June 2, 2025. (Ukrainian Ministry of Defense via AP)
39 minutes ago

Ukraine and Russia End Their Latest Round of Direct Peace Talks in Istanbul

Law enforcement officers detain a suspect, after an attack that injured multiple people, in Boulder, Colorado, U.S. June 1, 2025, in this picture obtained from social media. X/@OpusObscuraX/via REUTERS
43 minutes ago

Man Attacks Colorado Crowd With Firebombs, 8 People Injured

Construction workers use wood and lumber to build residential homes in Irvine, California, U.S., March 28, 2025. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo
1 hour ago

US Construction Spending Falls in April on Weakness in Single-Family Housing Projects

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., May 30, 2025. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon/File Photo
1 hour ago

Wall Street Opens Lower After Trump’s Steel Tariff Threat

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend