Utah COVID-19 Impacted Businesses Grant Program | Utah Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity

Program Update

Dec. 23, 2020 – Once Pres. Trump signs recent federal legislation it will allow the state of Utah to extend the CARES Act funding deadline to Dec. 31, 2021. The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget has confirmed that Utah will grant an extension for CARES Act expenditures. GOED is pleased to provide additional time for Utah businesses, organizations, and nonprofits to spend CARES Act dollars. We’ll share adjusted spending deadlines and reporting requirements associated with this extension in the coming weeks. This year has presented all of us with many challenges. We’re grateful for the opportunity to help Utah’s businesses, entrepreneurs, and families. Thank you for your partnership and ongoing contributions to Utah’s economy.

Dec. 2, 2020 – The Governor’s Office of Economic Development’s COVID-19 grant programs are now closed and, at this time, are not approved for additional funding. We have emailed all applicants with final approval or denial information. Please check your spam and junk folders if you’re still looking for our notification.

Please keep checking our coronavirus webpage for additional updates.

Shop In Utah Offers

The Shop In Utah offers webpage features companies interested in promoting their discount programs. The offers are listed in a searchable table for consumers to search for specific brands, locations or offers.
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About the Grant

The COVID-19 Impacted Businesses Grant Program, known as Shop In Utah, is a grant program to help support businesses and provide discounts to consumers.

The initiative is funded with $64 million in federal CARES Act monies. In the Utah Legislature’s August special session, the Legislature increased its initial $25 million for Shop In Utah funding to $55 million, and $7 million was transferred from ComRent to Shop In Utah.

Shop In Utah is one way the state’s supporting business and encouraging Utahns to engage with local businesses.

In its August special session, the Legislature created three grant tiers, providing more assistance for companies most impacted by the pandemic.

Examples

Shop In Utah customer discounts can take many forms. By way of illustration, here are some examples:

A retailer offers a buy-one-get-one deal, giving customers a discount of up to $75,000 combined by month’s end; Shop In Utah grant amount is $150,000
A dessert business offers a frequent customer card offering 25% off, good in August and up to $60,000 in total discounts; Shop In Utah grant amount is $120,000
A manufacturer offers customers a 20% discount for two weeks, committing to $50,000 off retail pricing; Shop In Utah grant amount is $100,000
A product is sold at 50% off until it’s gone, for a retail value of $10,000; Shop In Utah grant amount is $20,000
A dentist offers 25% off specific procedures in August, worth up to $15,000 in total fee reductions; Shop In Utah grant amount is $30,000
A hotel offers 50% off bookings in August, up to $25,000 off retail pricing; Shop In Utah grant amount is $50,000
A travel agent could offer 20% off bookings, for a combined retail value of $75,000; Shop In Utah grant amount is $150,000
A Utah outdoors guide offers 50% off bookings from now until November, for a retail value of up to $5,000; Shop In Utah grant amount is $10,000
A nonprofit arts organization offers 50% off memberships or tickets for a certain period or production, up to $25,000 in retail pricing; Shop In Utah grant amount is $50,000

A business owner could look at lost revenues and develop an appropriate Shop In Utah customer discount. For example, suppose a qualifying Utah business lost $30,000 in revenue since the coronavirus pandemic began. In that case, it could create a discount or promotion worth a total of $15,000 in savings to its customers to claim a Shop In Utah grant worth $30,000.

Qualifications

Eligible businesses must:

Offer a discount or other financial incentive with an estimated value to customers of at least 50% of the grant amount
Have experienced a revenue decline related to COVID-19
Have employees physically located in Utah
Have fewer than 250 full-time equivalent employees
Establish that the use of funds will benefit the state economy

Required Documentation

Businesses must submit the following:

A completed and signed W-9
A Profit & Loss statement for March to June 2019 if the business began operating before July 1, 2019; or a February 2020 Profit & Loss statement if the business started operations on or after July 1, 2019
A Profit & Loss statement for March to June 2020
A plan that includes a budget for the financial incentive offered to customers; the budget must establish how the funds will be spent before December 30, 2020

Award Calculation

Shop In Utah grant awards may not exceed the business entity’s revenue decline or established caps and are defined by the following criteria and tiers:

For a business entity that began operating before July 1, 2019, the sum of revenue for March through June 2019 compared to the sum of revenue for March through June 2020
For a business entity that began operating on or after July 1, 2019, the business entity’s revenue for February 2020 multiplied by four, compared to the sum of revenue from March through June 2020
Revenue decline of 50% or more: the lesser of 75% of revenue decline or $150,000
Revenue decline of at least 25% and below 50%: the lesser of 50% of revenue decline or $100,000
Revenue decline under 25%: the lesser of 25% of revenue decline or $50,000

To see what amount you may qualify for, please download and use this spreadsheet.

Please email shopinutah@utah.gov with any program questions.

View FAQs

To view frequently asked questions and answers, click here.

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Shop In Utah Offers

Stay Open Pledge

We encourage all businesses to follow best practices to protect the health and safety of employees and customers. Examples of best practice guidelines such as the Utah COVID-19 Business Manual can be found at coronavirus.utah.gov or the Stay Safe to Stay Open campaign at stayopenutah.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

I have not received a case number as directed, what can I do?

Our system will not validate an application if the captcha was not correctly validated. We have noticed an error with some web browsers. We advise clearing your cache and your cookies, and updating your web browser. Google Chrome is recommended in this instance. We also advise against using a mobile device.

Do I have to waive my rights to confidentiality as a business?

No. The question regarding the Utah Government Records Access Management Act (GRAMA) relates to your documents submitted in the application process. If you claim business confidentiality your financial documents submitted in the application will be prohibited from release in the event of a record request relating to your application. Claiming business confidentiality will not negatively affect your application.

What grant amounts are available and how are the amounts calculated?

Revenue decline of 50% or more: the lesser of 75% of revenue decline or $150,000
Revenue decline of at least 25% and below 50%: the lesser of 50% of revenue decline or $100,000
Revenue decline under 25%: the lesser of 25% of revenue decline or $50,000

How do I send you my documents?

To protect the security of your business and its financial documents, we ask you to please only upload your documents to the secure application. You can access the application after our team has verified your business and sent you log in credentials. If you did not submit all the required documentation, your application may be considered incomplete and therefore ineligible.

When will grant checks be mailed?

Shop In Utah grant checks will be distributed weekly on Tuesday and Thursday.

How do I find my Business Entity Number?

Your business Entity Number is the number you receive when you are registered with the state. You can verify your information by looking up your business here. Providing the correct entity ID and correct business addresses will help our team verify your business much faster.

How will I find out if my business was deemed eligible?

We have a small team of professionals working as hard as they can to verify your eligibility. Once eligibility has been determined, award or denial letters will be sent out. More information on the timelines will be available after we’ve been able to assess the volume of applications.

How do I know if my eligibility application was accepted?

You will receive a case number from a “no-reply” email almost instantly. If you do not receive a case number via email you have likely not submitted for eligibility to our system. Please try again.

How are the number of full-time equivalent employees calculated?

You will attest to the number of full-time equivalent employees during the application process. If your business is chosen for an audit, unemployment insurance records and payroll documentation may be used to verify the number reported.

If I applied for a GOED incentive in the past, can I use the same application access credentials?

Yes. If you have applied for another GOED incentive, please use this application link and the same access credentials for your application.

What file formats can I use to upload the requested documents to my application? Is there a size limit?

The preferred file types are .pdf but formats ending in .doc, .jpeg, .xls and .csv are all acceptable. We cannot accept specialized formats such as “.pages.” Please verify your documents are not password protected and are under 5MB.

Common Mistakes Applicants Make

Failure to provide all required documentation; if a document is unavailable, attach a document stating why
Document format:
- Name documents appropriately
- Size: Under 5MB each
- No password-protected documents
- PDF is the preferred format (Excel or Word is acceptable; no EPUB or files in Mac-based formats)
Verify the W-9 is signed, has the correct address and matches the address provided in the application
Know your business structure (parent entity is the applicant, DBA or other subsidiaries shouldn’t apply)
Carefully read the questions as they may determine your eligibility