How To Apply For The Canada United Small Business Relief Fund

The CUSBRF will be managed by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce on behalf of the national Chamber network in support of other chambers and partners to help small Canadian businesses with their recovery efforts as a result of COVID-19.

Successful applicants will receive a relief grant of up to $5,000. Canada United intends to support local businesses of all kinds from across the country.

Click here to learn more about Canada United.

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Eligibility Criteria

You will find below the eligibility criteria.

• One application per ownership group. If you submit more than one application, Canada United will reject any subsequent submission after the first time-stamped application.
• Applicants do not need to be a member of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) to qualify.
• Small to medium-sized (SME) companies from all sectors and all regions of Canada.
• For greater clarity, both For-Profit and Not-For-Profit organizations are eligible to apply but Government organizations, municipalities, charities and the chamber of commerce network are
  not eligible to apply.
• Be incorporated, or operating as a sole proprietor/partnership, in Canada as of March 1, 2020.
• No more than 75 employees.
• Have minimum annual sales of $150,000 and not more than $3,000,000.
• Have $1,000,000 of commercial general liability insurance (self reported). Not receiving any other contributions from public funds towards the specific activities contained in the funding application. Applicants that received funding from another government source must provide details including the exact amount, source of funds and how the funds contributed to the expenditures noted in the budget section of the application.
• Be in full compliance with all applicable government laws, rules, regulations, guidelines and other legally binding measures (self declaration).
• Be in operation after September 1, 2020 (grant recipients must sign a declaration included in the
  approval letter to confirm).
• Must attach all necessary receipts and invoices, accompanied with proof of payment, with the application. Failure to include sufficient expenditure details and accompanying documents will
  result in automatic disqualification.
• Must submit the company’s sales tax (GST/HST) registration document or a recent sales tax
  (GST/HST) filing and one of the following documents:
  • Proof of business registration
  • Business license
  • Articles of incorporation or letters patent
  • For partnerships: Articles of incorporation or letters patent for each corporate
    partner

Documents must show official stamp, logo or other official identifying details from issuing agency.

Priority applicants for consideration will include businesses owned by Indigenous People, women, visible minorities, LGBTQ2+, and persons with disabilities. Considerations will also be made to ensure the fund is distributed broadly to all regions across the country.

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Eligible Activities and Costs

The maximum grant amount available per application is $5,000. The grant is to provide reimbursement of costs business incurred because of COVID-19. It is not a loan, line of credit or similar repayable product. It is funds that will be paid within 30 business days of receipt of banking information and the signed approval letter.

There are three categories of purchases that are eligible for reimbursement under the program. See
below for examples:

• Purchase of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• Renovation of space to adhere to re-opening guidelines
• Enhancement of website/ developing e-commerce capability

Eligible expenses directly related to the above categories will be permitted provided that you made the purchases no earlier than March 15, 2020. Also, all eligible expenses must be incremental and a direct result of adjusting operations for COVID-19 safety guidelines. Normal or usual ongoing business costs are not eligible.

All expenses are subject to the program administrators’ discretion. For more information about this, see the program guidelines. Also, if you are thinking of applying for this fund, check the pre-application checklist.

To apply for the fund, visit the application page.

Note: Applicants can only apply once for the CUSBRF. if you have already submitted an application, please do not submit a second application.

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