FAQ: Douglas County Food Services Stimulus

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What documents are needed to apply?

• 2019 financial statements and 2020 gross revenue. Must include expenses and revenue.
• 2019 and 2020 quarterly Nebraska sales tax remittance forms.
• Federal tax filing for January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019.
• Estimate of your business’s loss of income/revenue due to COVID-19 in 2020.
• Estimated total current hours in payroll.

Who is eligible to apply?

• Must be a small, locally-owned business in the food and beverage industry, based in Douglas County and operating under one of the following NAICS Codes: 7223- Special Food Services (i.e. caterers and food trucks); 7224- Drinking Places; or 7225- Restaurants and Other Eating Places.
• Be active through the Nebraska Secretary of State and currently collecting and remitting sales tax.
• Have been in operation in Douglas County since January 2019 and currently be open to the public.
• Have an annual gross revenue of $1.25 million or less as demonstrated in 2019 financial statements.
• UPDATED: Have lost at least 30% of income/revenue in 2020 due to COVID-19, as demonstrated by a reduction in sales tax remittance.

Who is NOT eligible to apply for this program?

• Live venues that have previously received stimulus support through Douglas County or are applying for the Sec. 324 Grants for Shuttered Venue Operators (Save Our Stages Program) are not included.
• Franchise entities.
• Businesses that have permanently closed.
• Those not operating in the NAICS codes listed above.

How can funds be used?

Businesses can use these stimulus funds as working capital to pay for operational expenses, with the purpose of helping sustain operations.

What criteria will be used to assess applications and determine how much funding applicants receive?

Funds will be awarded to businesses on a competitive basis meeting the eligibility requirements listed above and demonstrating the greatest amount of need. Awards are dependent upon the availability of funds and will be based on the organization’s annual gross revenue.

• Businesses located in zip codes with the highest rates of COVID-19 (based on the Douglas County Health Department heat map) may receive additional consideration of funding.
• Additional consideration may be given to those businesses that had to shut down completely due to decisions made by governmental entities to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

What is meant by stabilization?

Small businesses across the county have been struggling in the wake of COVID-19. You have experienced business interruption in the form of a loss of income/revenue and/or an increase in expenses due to COVID-19 impacts on your operations and communities. The Stimulus Grant seeks to make your operations more financially stable.

How does my business apply for this funding?

All applications will be processed through the Omaha Community Foundation’s online grant portal.

How will I know if my business’s application has been received by the Omaha Community Foundation?

Businesses will receive a confirmation to the email address associated with its account in the application portal. If an email confirmation is not received, businesses can check on the status of the application in the account application portal under the “Submitted” menu. If you continue to have concerns over whether an application has been submitted, please contact us at stimulus@omahafoundation.org.

How much will be awarded?

Douglas County has allocated $2 million to the Food Services Stimulus. Award size largely depends on the number of applications received. The Omaha Community Foundation intends to extend financial assistance to as many eligible entities as possible. Funds will be awarded to businesses on a competitive basis meeting the eligibility requirements and demonstrating the greatest amount of need. Awards are dependent upon the availability of funds and will be based on the organization’s annual gross revenue.

Businesses located in zip codes with the highest rates of COVID-19, based on data from the Douglas County Health Department, may receive additional consideration for funding.

Additional consideration may also be given to businesses that had to shut down completely due to decisions made by governmental entities to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Is this a first-come-first-served program?

No, there will be no priority given to those who apply early. All applications received by 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, February 17, 2021 will be considered equally.

Who will decide which organizations receive funding?

Representatives from the Nebraska Enterprise Fund will review applications based on alignment to the program’s requirements and parameters. They will make grant determinations and the list of prospective grantees.

Who will disburse these grants?

Nebraska Enterprise Fund will disburse grant awards directly to businesses via e-payment.

If I am awarded a grant from the Douglas County Food Services Stimulus what will be required to receive the funds?

Businesses will need to complete and submit a signed grant agreement and a W-9 before receiving funds.

What kind of reporting will be required as a recipient of these funds?

Businesses being funded will be required to submit a final program report to the Omaha Community Foundation. The final report will be due September 30, 2021. Per guidance from the Department of Treasury, organizations should retain records for a period of seven years as they may also be required to produce these materials as part of a future audit

Are financial audits required for this grant program?

No financial audit is required for application to this program.

Who do I contact if I have a question about my application?

For questions about the online application portal, please email stimulus@omahafoundation.org and include your business’s name in the subject line. For all other questions, you may call the Nebraska Enterprise Fund at (402) 265-0230.

Will the Omaha Community Foundation receive any of these funds?

The Omaha Community Foundation and the Nebraska Enterprise Fund will receive a portion of the funds available to cover administrative, legal, and audit services. These entities are responsible for administering the grant program, reporting processes, and ongoing monitoring required with distributing these funds

For more information, contact us at stimulus@omahafoundation.org or the Nebraska Enterprise Fund at NEFdesk@nebbiz.org or (402) 265-0230.