*note this page in in process of being updated 6/22 @ 1:01P
Alert:
*note this page in in process of being updated 6/22 @ 1:01P
The grant opens Wednesday, June 23, 2021 at 9:00am EST and will close on Friday, July 9 at 11:59 PM EST. There is no benefit to being first in line when the grant opens.
The total amount for the PIVOT grant program is $25 Million dollars.
The grant amount per entity vary by sector and entity size (based on annual receipts/revenue), per the following:
Food Services
Annual receipts or gross revenue less than $3.5M per establishment:
Independent Food Trucks
Lodging (Hotels)
Minimum 10 rooms
Retail, Services, and Amusements
Annual receipts or gross revenue less than $3.5M (per establishment)
Arts Organizations, Museums, and Historical Sites
Arts org. annual receipts or gross revenue greater than $100,000
Arts org. annual receipts or gross revenue less than $100,000
Museums and historical Sites
The Department of Economic Initiatives listserv will be used to communicate relevant business information to our local business community.
If you are interested in receiving these communications, you may subscribe on https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/mailinglist. Scroll down to the ‘Doing Business’ section and select Economic Initiatives E-News. Future mailings will include notification when this grant opportunity becomes available and instructions on how to apply.
Towns: Businesses and non-profits which have their principal place of business located within the Town of Vienna, Town of Herndon, or Town of Clifton are eligible for the Fairfax RISE program. Residents of those towns are within Fairfax County and vote and pay taxes to both their Town and Fairfax County.
Cities: Businesses and non-profits which have their principal place of businesses located in the City of Fairfax, City of Alexandria or the City of Falls Church are not eligible for the Fairfax RISE program. Cities are wholly separate jurisdictions from Fairfax County, with separate governing and taxing authority.
Please visit the Fairfax County Address Validator and it will tell if your address is in Fairfax County proper.
A few PRO Tips for using the Validator:
Additional search tips can be found by clicking the question mark button next to the text box.
Businesses must demonstrate 15% or greater loss in annual revenue between 2019 and 2020. This will be done by comparing 2019 and 2020 tax returns. If this difference does not equal at least a 15% reduction, a business will be deemed ineligible for a PIVOT grant.
Yes. However, please note that you cannot use the same reimbursable expenses for the PIVOT Grant if you had them reimbursed under EIDL, PPP loan or any other federal program. Applicants will be responsible for complying to the terms and requirements of loan and grant programs from different sources.
Yes. However, please note that you cannot use the same reimbursable expenses for the PIVOT Grant if you had them reimbursed under EIDL loan or any other federal program. Applicants will be responsible for complying to the terms and requirements of loan and grant programs from different sources.
You may apply for a PIVOT grant if you have yet to receive funding or a notice of award from either of the RRF or the SBA Shuttered Venue programs. If you have received funds or have received notice that funding will be forthcoming, you will not be eligible for PIVOT.
Our limited funds are being prioritized for those businesses that have not received these grants. Shuttered Venue and Restaurant Revitalization provide recipients very substantial awards.
For example, the SBA Restaurant fund average grant amount is $125,000 (the amount is determined by subtracting a restaurant’s 2020 revenue from 2019). The Shuttered Venue grant will distribute more than $16 billion in grants of up to $10 million each (equal up to 45% of a venue’s revenue).
Yes. The county’s Neighborhood and Community Services Department is currently developing a program that will offer grant opportunities for non-profit organizations, childcare providers, and community recreation/athletic organizations. When details are available the program will be announced on the Fairfax County website, Board of Supervisors newsletters, the media, and other local groups. Fairfax County expects to make an announcement on this program in mid-summer.
Houses of worship and faith-based nonprofit organizations are not eligible to receive funding from the PIVOT grant program. Only entities that meet all criteria, including the sector categories, will be eligible.
The checklist may not have included this specific type of business, but that document was only intended to be a guide – not a final determination about all types of businesses across the County
Businesses that meet the additional requirements of the program should apply to confirm full qualifications.
2019 revenue for the months your business was operating will be annualized to ensure a fair comparison against 2020 annual revenue.
This analysis is completed during the Phase I Initial Eligibility Check. Please note that the annualization has already been taken into account if you are notified that your business does not reach the 15% threshold for economic injury.
If the PIVOT grant program is oversubscribed there will be a lottery for applicants in the Food Services; Retail, Amusements and Services; and Arts, Organizations, Museums and Historic Sites. Hotels are exempt from the lottery.
The eligible hotels will be awarded first and then the remaining funds will be applied to the Food Service (including Food Trucks); Retail, Services and Amusements; Arts Organizations, and Museums and Historical Sites programs through a random lottery/selection. As it will be random across the sectors, funds may not be evenly divided.
Fairfax County is not awarding a preference for those businesses that applied to the Microloan Fairfax County Small Business COVID Relief Fund or the RISE grant program.
Please visit the ‘Understanding BPOL Tax’ website for details on filing for BPOL. Visit Understanding the Business, Professional and Occupational License (BPOL) Tax | Tax Administration (fairfaxcounty.gov) for more information.
If you simply need to file online, here is the form https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/bpol/BPOLNewBusiness.aspx
Because BPOL is a self-reporting tax, no BPOL bills are sent out. Instead, you receive a BPOL Renewal Application in January every year. The renewal form is required to be filled out and submitted with payment by March 1.
If you did not receive the form in the mail, you can download the BPOL Application from our website.
The easiest and fastest way to renew is online. Renewing online is free when paying with a checking or savings account. A 2.5% service fee applies to credit and debit card payments.
Please contact the Department of Tax Administration (DTA). You can
You can get information about Food Establishment Permits in Fairfax County here: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/health/food/operators
Visit the Fairfax County health department web page for all the information you need.
Health Permits for Food Establishments: Annual Renewals | Health (fairfaxcounty.gov)
The grant is meant to assist small businesses and certain nonprofits experiencing negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The grant can be used for:
The grant agreement will detail the compliance and use requirements that grant awardees will be obligated to. A form of the grant agreement is anticipated to be available for applicants to review prior to the end of the application period.
Grantees will be required to enter into a grant agreement with Fairfax County prior to receipt of funds.
The grant agreement will detail the compliance and use requirements that grant awardees will be obligated to. A form of the grant agreement is anticipated to be available for applicants to review prior to the end of phase 3 of the application process.
Please note that no grant funds can be used to pay debts to close the business or start a new business.
No. To legally operate in Fairfax County and receive a health department certificate, a food truck must operate from an approved facility or commissary in Fairfax County. We will only require the health department certificate from food trucks.
Nonprofit arts organizations are not required to provide a lease agreement.
For-profit arts organizations, nonprofit museums and historic sites must submit a commercial lease, lease equivalent, deed, or Landlord Affidavit.
If you do not have a lease agreement or your lease agreement does not reflect current terms, then you may have your landlord or authorized property manager complete and sign the Landlord Affidavit stating your proof of commercial tenancy at the premises. Applicants completing Phase 2 can find this form under the Sample Documents tab or click here.