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Overview
The Small and Medium Enterprise Relaunch Grant offers financial assistance to Alberta organizations (businesses, cooperatives and non-profits) that were ordered to close or curtail operations, and that experienced a revenue reduction of at least 30%, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The program offers the following:
- Up to $20,000 in funding for organizations established before February 29, 2020, including unregistered sole proprietors.
- Up to $15,000 in funding for new organizations which began operations between March 1 and October 31 2020, including unregistered sole proprietors.
Businesses, cooperatives and non-profits can use these funds as they see fit to help offset a portion of the impact of new public health measures or their relaunch costs, such as implementing measures to minimize the risk of virus transmission, which could include:
- physical barriers
- purchasing personal protective equipment and disinfecting supplies
- paying rent and employee wages
- replacing inventory and more
Funding
The Government of Alberta has committed up to $500 million in funding for the program.
The program provides funding to organizations that saw a revenue reduction of at least 30% due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
First payment for existing organizations
Grant funding amounts for the first payment are calculated based on 15% of the eligible organization’s pre-COVID-19 monthly revenue up to a maximum of $5,000 per business, cooperative or non-profit.
- Each applicant will receive one first payment representing 15% of one month’s worth of pre-COVID-19 revenue up to a maximum of $5,000.
- Applicants can choose either April or May 2020 to maximize their benefit payment.
Second payment for existing organizations
A second payment is available to businesses, cooperatives and non-profits that were required to curtail operations as a result of new public health orders in effect from November 6, 2020 and later.
The second payment is 3 times the amount of the approved first payment, up to a maximum of $15,000.
Payment to new organizations
Grant funding amounts are calculated based on 15% of the eligible organization’s monthly revenue from any month between March and October 2020. This amount is multiplied 3 times up to a maximum of $15,000 per business, cooperative or non-profit.
- Each applicant will receive one payment representing 3 times 15% of one month’s worth of revenue up to a maximum of $15,000.
- Applicants can choose any month between November or December 2020 to maximize their benefit payment.
For more information, refer to the:
Eligibility
Businesses, cooperatives and non-profit organizations that were ordered to close or curtail operations as a result of public health orders issued by Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health may be eligible.
Applicants will be required to demonstrate a revenue reduction of at least 30% as a result of COVID-19 public health orders.
After you apply
The program aims to process applications and issue payments within 10 business days following submission. Any application data entry errors will increase processing time and applicants will not receive payment within the stated 10 business day window following submission.
- After you have submitted your application, your application will appear on the main page of the online application portal in "Submitted" status. Check the main page for further updates on the status of your application.
- For step-by-step instructions on how to check the status of your application, refer to the Companion Guide (PDF, 2.2 MB).
Approved applicants will receive funds via Electronic Fund Transfer directly into their bank account.
- Please ensure the banking information provided at the time of application is accurate to avoid payment delays.
- The grant is a taxable benefit and must be declared on your annual returns.
Applications with incomplete or incorrect information, or that require manual review, will experience a delay in processing and will not receive payment within 10 business days.
- Applications flagged for manual review will appear on the main page of the online application portal in "Review" status.
- The applicant may be contacted by a program officer for more information to complete the review.
- Applicants who have already submitted their application should not reapply. Resubmitting an application could cause further delays.
Audit and compliance
All applications and corresponding grants are subject to a potential audit by the Government of Alberta, or their authorized representatives, upon reasonable notice to the recipient.
- Any audit process would encompass taking copies and extracts of the records and books of account maintained by the recipient in accordance with eligible criteria outlined in the “Eligibility criteria” section of the program guidelines.
- If records or accounts are deemed inadequate to permit a determination of eligibility, repayment of the grant funding by the recipient will be required.
Contact
For questions and to connect with Small and Medium Enterprise Support program staff: