Table of contents

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

Application status

Closed: Application intake was closed on March 31, 2021.

If an application was submitted on or before March 31, it will remain under consideration until a decision on eligibility has been reached.

Ministry responsible

Jobs, Economy and Innovation

Protecting lives and livelihoods wordmark

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.

  • Eligible organizations

    To be eligible, an Alberta business, cooperative or non-profit organization must meet all of the following criteria.

    • Be one of the following legal entities as of February 29, 2020, or October 31, 2020 (new organizations only):
      • corporation registered under the Business Corporations Act (Alberta)
      • partnership registered under the Partnership Act (Alberta)
      • sole proprietor with a trade name registered under the Partnership Act (Alberta)
      • unregistered sole proprietor with sufficient documentation to demonstrate the existence of the organization's operations
      • corporation incorporated under a special act or a private act of the Alberta legislature
      • non-profit registered under a special act or a private act of the Alberta legislature
      • non-profit registered under part 9 of the Companies Act (Alberta)
      • society registered under the Societies Act (Alberta) or Agricultural Societies Act (Alberta)
      • cooperative registered under the Cooperatives Act (Alberta)
    • Maintain a permanent establishment (as defined in Appendix I of the Small and Medium Enterprise Relaunch Grant program guidelines) in Alberta and be established (and in good standing) with the requirements of the applicable legislation.
    • Be carrying on business/operations or were eligible to carry on business/operations in Alberta on February 29, 2020 or October 31, 2020 (new organizations only).
    • Have less than 500 employees (full time, part-time and contract combined):
      • Seasonal businesses may use the number of employees from the year prior to when the COVID-19 public health orders were introduced, or the average number of employees over the 3 years prior to the COVID-19 public health orders introduced.
    • Have been ordered to temporarily close or curtail operations through a COVID-19 public health order. See COVID-19 orders and legislation for more information.
    • Have experienced a reduction in revenue of at least 30% as a result of the COVID-19 public health orders.
      • Existing organizations in operation as of February 29, 2020 must demonstrate a revenue reduction in April or May 2020 in comparison to April 2019, May 2019 or February 2020.
      • New organizations that commenced operations between March 1, 2020 and October 31, 2020, must demonstrate a revenue reduction of at least 30% in November or December 2020 in comparison to any month between March and October 2020.
      • Seasonal businesses that only operate for part of the year may use their average monthly sales revenue for the full months they were in operation during 2019.
    • Are open or plan to reopen as public health orders are lifted through Alberta’s phased relaunch.
    • May have received payments, grants, or amounts directly from the following assistance programs:
      • Alberta Workers’ Compensation Board premium relief
      • Business Credit Availability Program (BCAP)
      • Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA)
      • Western Diversification Regional Relief and Recovery Fund
      • Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS)
      • Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA)
      • Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (CERS) including both base subsidy and lock-down support
      • Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB)/Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB)
      • Canada United Small Business Relief Fund (CUSBRF)
      • Canada Emergency Care Benefit
      • Government of Alberta Emergency Isolation Support
      • Government of Alberta grant relief funding for the child care sector
      • Government of Alberta Early Learning and Child Care pilot program
      • Relief funding from municipalities

    If any other payments, grants or amounts were received from federal or provincial government sources or from insurance to replace or compensate for the loss of revenue (other than the sources listed above), your organization is not eligible to apply.

    To be eligible for the second payment organizations must have been required to curtail operations by the public health orders in effect from November 6, 2020 and later.

    Organizations with multiple Alberta permanent physical establishments that have seen revenue reduction are eligible to apply for funding for each establishment. This includes scenarios where an organization has more than one location/chapter/branch that has seen revenue reduction of at least 30% due to COVID-19 public health orders.

    Applicants will be required to submit separate applications for each location/chapter/branch, and check the appropriate box in the application form.

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:

Email: [email protected]