A message from the Ontario Small Business Support Grant Team
The Ontario government is committed to providing Indigenous small business owners with financial support to help them manage through this pandemic. We want them to have access to support that can help them sustain their business, keep people employed, and continue serving their communities long after COVID-19 is behind us.
That’s why we’ve introduced the Ontario Small Business Support Grant. Small businesses with up to 99 employees – including sole proprietorships – that were required to close or significantly restrict services under the Provincewide Shutdown can apply for a one-time grant to recover some of their expected lost revenue. The grant starts at $10,000 to a maximum of $20,000.
Eligible businesses will be able to use the support in whatever way makes the most sense to them. For example, some businesses may use the funds to help pay employee wages, while others may need help to maintain their inventory.
We want Indigenous business owners to know that they don’t require a CRA business number to apply for this one-time grant. Indigenous applicants without CRA business numbers can apply using the attached application form that must be emailed or mailed in for processing and approval.
The dedicated application form for Indigenous applicants without CRA business numbers can also be downloaded from the application portal. At the application portal, Indigenous businesses with CRA business numbers can also choose to apply online.
Completed application forms for Indigenous applicants without CRA numbers can be emailed to SmallBusSupportGrant2@ontario.ca. Or they can be mailed to:
OSBSG Program c/o MEDJCT
56 Wellesley, 7th Floor
Toronto, Ontario
M7A 2E4
Small business owners with questions about the grant or the application process can reach out to ServiceOntario to get direct help. Agents are available Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 am to 5:00 p.m. They can be reached at:
To be eligible for the Ontario Small Business Support Grant, businesses must demonstrate they experienced a revenue decline of at least 20 per cent when comparing monthly revenue in April 2020 and April 2019. New small businesses established since April 2019 will also be eligible provided, they meet other eligibility criteria.
Businesses can go to www.ontario.ca/COVIDsupport to learn more about the Ontario Small Business Support Grant and other financial supports, including the Main Street Relief Grant to help cover the unexpected costs of PPE and rebates for property taxes and energy costs.
Thank you for your continued support for Indigenous-owned small businesses. We hope you will share the news of this grant with all the small businesses you work with. By supporting local and staying safe, better days for small businesses are ahead.
Sincerely,
Ontario Small Business Support Grant Team
Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade
Government of Ontario