Escambia releases CARES grant guidelines Saturday a.m.

Escambia County finally released its guidelines for Escambia CARES Family Emergency Financial Assistance Grant on Saturday.

The board had told County Administrator Janice Gilley that it wanted funds set aside for those who lacked online capabilities or had difficulty completing applications. None of the applicants who submitted paper applications in April and May for the county’s first small business grants received any funds.

Gilley appears to have ignored the commissioners’ request. While the application process will have several assistance sites – the April/May program only had the Brownsville Community Center, the grants will be awarded on a first-qualified, first-served basis, which again gives an advantage to online applicants.

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Escambia CARES Grant – Families

As Inweekly reported last week, the application window for the Escambia CARES Family Emergency Financial Assistance Grant will be open from 8 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 18, through 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22. The application will be available online at myescambia.com/CARES.

The grants are $2,000 per household and only about 1,790 households will be awarded grants because of funds allotted the program. As with the housing grants, the process will be a race against time with grants being dispersed on a first-qualified, first-served basis.

 General Eligibility Requirements

• Applicants must be residents of Escambia County
• Applicants must be a U.S. citizen or a permanent legal resident
• Applicants must be at least 18 years old
• Have a household income of $45,000 or less
• Have been negatively impacted by COVID-19

Applicants will need to provide:

• Certification of COVID-19 impact
• Copy of a valid, state-issued ID
• Copy of Social Security card or other proof of a Social Security number
• Tax-Filers: Copy of the first page of their 2019 federal tax return (IRS form 1040, 1040A or 1040EZ)
• Non-Tax Filers: Self-Certification letter stating the reason why you did not file a 2019 Federal Income Tax Return and/or the type of income you received – Social Security Benefits (SSA, SSI/SSD), Railroad Retirement, Veterans Affairs Pension, Disability Benefits, etc.
• A completed W-9 form, which can be download at irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw9.pdf.

Those needing assistance or who do not have access to the internet and wish to apply with paper forms instead of online can seek help Friday, Sept. 18, through Tuesday, Sept. 22, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and from noon to 5 p.m. weekends at following locations:

• Beulah Senior Citizens Center, 7425 Woodside Dr.
• Brownsville Community Center, 3200 W. DeSoto St.
• Carver Park Resource Center, 208 Webb St.
• Century Branch Library, 7991 N. Century Blvd.
• Dorrie Miller Community Center, 2819 N. Miller St.
• Escambia County Extension Services, 3740 Stefani Road
• Gull Point Community Center, 7000 Spanish Trail
• Lexington Terrace Community Center, 700 S. Old Corry Field Road
• Marie K. Young Wedgewood Community Center, 6405 Wagner Rd.
• Molino Community Center, 6450 Highway 95-A North
• Pensacola Downtown Library, 239 N. Spring St.
• Walnut Hill Community Center, 7850 Highway 97 North

Escambia CARES Grant – Businesses

Funding for the Escambia CARES Business Emergency Financial Assistance Grant will be available in amounts of $7,500 for small businesses with up to 25 employees and $15,000 for small businesses with 26-50 employees.

The application process for the Escambia CARES Business Emergency Financial Assistance Grant will open Friday, Sept. 25, and continue through Tuesday, Sept. 29.  The application will be available online at myescambia.com/CARES and will be available in select in-person locations. Those locations will be determined at the next Board of County Commissioners’ meeting on Thursday, Sept. 17.

Businesses wishing to apply for this grant will need to supply:

• • A current W-9 form
  • Financial documents including a 2019 tax return, IRS form 941 from the first quarter of 2020 or a sole proprietor statement
  • Documentation of the amount of loans received from the Paycheck Protection Program
  • An active state business registration, license or other documentation of the businesses’ ability to operate in Florida