Maryland Relief Act 2021 – Carroll County Restaurants

GENERAL TERMS:

• Restaurant must be primarily engaged in activities that, in accordance with the North American Industrial Classification System, would be included in Code 722320 (Caterers), Code 7224 (Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)), or Code 7225 (Restaurants and Other Eating Places)
• Priority will be given to applicants who have NOT received a COVID-19 Business Relief Grant or Loan from the Maryland Department of Commerce or previous funding through the Carroll County Restaurant Relief Grant Programs
• A minimum of 15% of grant funds will be awarded to those who answer “YES” to the following economic status questions:
  • Does the applicant (owner) have a net worth of less than $750,000?
  • Did the applicant (owner) have an adjusted gross income of less than $350,000? and
  • Did the applicant have less than $6 Million in assets?

ELIGIBILITY:

• Independently-owned Carroll County restaurants
• Entertainment venues including bowling alleys, golf courses and fraternal/service organizations that have a licensed commercial kitchen
• Breweries, wineries, distilleries
• Food trucks / Mobile Caterers licensed and located in Carroll County

INELIGIBLE BUSINESSES:

• Non-restaurant businesses including convenience stores
• Restaurants with 50 or more FTE employees
• Restaurants not currently open/operating
• Veterans’ Organizations (funded through Md Recovery Now – Carroll Nonprofits)
• Hotels/motels and B&B establishments (funded through the Hotel & Lodging grant)
• National/regional chains, franchises and publicly traded companies (regardless if locally owned)

BUSINESS QUALIFICATIONS:

Businesses which apply for the grant program:

• Must have been established and in full operation prior to March 1, 2020
• Businesses must be registered with the State if required to do so. In addition, the business must be in good standing with the State of Maryland and Carroll County as of April 1, 2021. Visit https://dat.maryland.gov/businesses/Pages/Internet-Certificate-of-Status.aspx to obtain certificate of status (Certificate of Good Standing may be provided via screenshot or printed from the webpage – no need to pay for official certificate)
• Must be current on all taxes owed to Carroll County and/or the State of Maryland and have no outstanding zoning, permitting or other issues

Full time equivalent employees (FTE)** are counted as working 30+ hours per week. Accordingly, grants will be awarded as follows:

• Sole Proprietors/Restaurants with nine (9) or less full-time equivalent employees, $4,000**
• Restaurants with between ten (10) and fifty (50) full-time equivalent employees, $8,000**
• Food Trucks / Mobile Caterers (regardless of employment), $3,000

(** – The calculation of full-time equivalent (FTE) is an employee’s scheduled hours divided by the employer’s hours for a full-time workweek. For example, an employer has a 30-hour workweek, employees who are scheduled to work 30+ hours per week are 1.0 FTE. Employees scheduled to work 15 hours per week are 0.5 FTE.)

ELIGIBLE FUND USES include the following:

• Payroll
• Mortgage/Rent
• Utilities
• Disposable food containers/utensils
• Information technology upgrades and e-commerce programs
• Marketing
• Employee training
• Commercial cleaning /sanitation services
• Professional services
• Vehicle or equipment expenses to expand outdoor dining; infrastructure improvements
• Other COVID-19 or health-related expenses (Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), supplies, plexiglass shields, masks, etc.)

INELIGIBLE FUND USES include the following:

• Expenses not related to COVID-19 pandemic impacts

REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION:

• Fully completed application
• Federal Employment Tax payer identification number (FEIN)
• MDSDAT Certificate of Good Standing. The business must be in good standing with the State of Maryland and Carroll County, and registered with the state, if required to do so by law, as of April 1, 2021. (Certificate of Good Standing may be provided via screenshot or printed from the webpage – no need to pay for official certificate) See https://dat.maryland.gov/businesses/Pages/Internet-Certificate-of-Status.aspx
• Payroll reports/summary for the most recent month OR 2020 W2 forms to support employment requirement (For funding requests of 10+ FTE employees only. Please redact personal information)
• Profit loss statements from fiscal years 2019 AND 2020 to document financial impact and need

UPON GRANT AWARD:

Businesses must:

• Enter into a formal grant agreement with Carroll County
• Submit a W-9 for tax reporting
• Retain grant documentation on spending for five (5) years and agree to a county, state or federal audit if required
• Accept terms grant agreement as issued
• Grant agreements that are not returned to the Department within five (5) business days will be considered null and void and the applicant will forfeit the award. If an applicant requires additional time to return the agreement, a request must be made in writing within the five (5) business day timeline.