The Small Business Hurricane Recovery Grant Program (the “Grant Program”) is subject to all applicable federal, provincial, state and local laws, regulations, and government-imposed rules and requirements. By submitting an Application (defined below), each Applicant (defined below) agrees to abide by these Terms and Conditions, applicable provisions of the Application the terms of any grant agreements issued, and decisions of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation (the “Foundation”), which shall be final and binding in all respects relating to this Grant Program.
Eligibility/Requirements
To be eligible to receive a grant ("Grant") from the Grant Program, any person (or their business or a chamber of commerce) applying for a Grant (an “Applicant”) must satisfy the following requirements:
- Be a business or a chamber of commerce that employed 1-25 individuals at the time of Tropical Storm/Hurricane Helene or Hurricane Milton (the “Disaster”), including the owner, full or part time, or those working for the business under a 1099 agreement.1
A "business” means any of the following:
- Individual/sole proprietorship
- C-Corporation
- S-Corporation
- Partnership
- Limited Liability Company (C-Corporation, S-Corporation, or Partnership)
A “chamber of commerce” means an organization recognized under Section 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code. Use of the term “business” shall also refer to a chamber of commerce.
- Have at least one physical location or online business in a primary county from U.S. Small Business Administration’s disaster declarations for the Disaster (the “Designated Disaster Area”)
- Be a business or chamber of commerce financially harmed by the Disaster
- Was not a grant recipient of the Foundation’s Small Business Readiness for Resiliency Program in 2024
- Not have sufficient financial resources to cover the business damage/loss the business experienced as a result the Disaster
- Have a valid employer identification number (EIN) issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
- Have a business bank account that accepts automated clearing house (ACH)/direct deposit
- Not be in an Ineligible Business Category (as defined below)
- Agree to these Terms and Conditions, and the terms of any grant agreement
- Provide an answer to each required question in the Grant program Application (defined below)
Each business by EIN can only receive one $5,000 grant, and each business owner can only receive a Grant for a single company.
Ineligible Business Categories, includes (without limitation), any of the following:
- Any government agency, public administration, political organization, non-profit or tax-exempt organization, except for Chambers of Commerce.
- Any type of business engaged in any illegal activity.
- Businesses owned by employees, officers, and directors of the Chamber Foundation, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, American Express Company, or any current Grant Program funder (“Grant Program Entities”) and any affiliated entities, and their respective immediate families (parents, spouse, children, siblings) or individuals residing in their household (whether or not related) are not eligible to receive Grants.
- Any individual or entity listed on any sanctions list maintained by the U.S. Department of the Treasury or any equivalent foreign authority.
Grant Process
Applicants are required to complete and submit an online Grant Program Application and IRS form W-9 (each, an “Application”). Applications must be submitted during the Application period, which will begin on October 31, 2024 at 12:00 AM EDT and end on November 17, 2024 at 11:59 PM EST ("Application Period"). The Application Period may be extended as determined by the Foundation in its sole discretion.
Limit one (1) Application per Applicant. Applications generated by script, macro, or other automated means or by any means which subvert the submission process are void. All Applications become the sole property of the Grant Program Entities. In order to submit the Application, the Applicant will be required to agree to abide by these Terms and Conditions and applicable provisions of the Application as a condition for receiving a Grant.
All Applications must be submitted online during the Application Period. Only those Applications submitted in accordance with the instructions provided herein will be accepted. Applications received by any other means will not be considered. Applicants are responsible for ensuring proper contact information has been submitted and is maintained throughout the Grant Program process to allow communications about the Grant Program. Erroneous or false information provided in the Application will result in immediate disqualification of the Applicant. The Foundation retains the right to disqualify any Applicant in its sole discretion.
Application Restrictions
Applications must be true, complete, and verifiable and the original work product of the Applicant. No part of the Application may have been previously published, or infringe upon the copyrights, trademarks, rights of privacy, publicity or other intellectual property or other rights of any person or entity.
By submitting an Application, the Applicant represents and warrants that the Application conforms to these Terms and Conditions and understands that the Foundation retains the right to disqualify any Applicant in its sole discretion.
Publicity Grant/Use of Applications
Each Grant recipient hereby grants to each Grant Program Entity and their respective designees, successors, licensees, and assignees a nonexclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, and transferable license to reproduce, distribute, display, perform, create derivative works based upon, or otherwise use, and allow others to use, the Grant recipient’s name and logo, and any and all materials, reports, documents and photographs created or provided in connection with the Application, the Grant or Grant Program, in whole or in part, including, without limitation, the names, biographical information, cities and states of residence, photos, videos, quotes and statements (in written or recorded oral form), and likenesses, in any manner, in any and all media, now known or hereafter devised, throughout the world, for advertising, promotional, and other purposes in connection with the Grant Program and the objectives of the Grant Program, without further compensation, notification, or permission. Applicants agree that Released Parties (as defined below) are not responsible for any unauthorized use of Applications by third parties. No Grant Program Entity has any obligation to make use of the rights granted herein.
Each Grant recipient consents to the Foundation and/or American Express taking their own photographs or video recordings in connection with the Grant recipient’s use of Grant funds, and using such photographs and video recordings for advertising, promotional, and other purposes in connection with the Grant Program and the objectives of the Grant Program, in each case, without any further compensation, notification, or permission from the Grant recipient.
The Foundation, American Express, and any other Grant Program Entity may make a public announcement of the Grant recipients and the Grant Program. Prior to such public announcement, a Grant recipient must not to make any announcement or release any information concerning the Grant without prior written approval of the Foundation.
Application Review
Applications will be reviewed based on, among other things, their alignment with the eligibility requirements for the Grant Program and their responses to the Application questions.
Grant Notification
Grant recipients shall be potential grant recipients (“Potential Grantees”) until such time as the conditions of this notification provision are satisfied. Potential Grantees will be notified by email and/or telephone (“Notification”). If the Foundation is unable to match the EIN number provided with a valid IRS verification and/or unable to verify that the ACH account number provided matches an active business bank account, the Grant funds will not be deposited.
Grant
Grant recipients will receive a $5,000 Grant award to assist with their disaster recovery.
NO WARRANTY OF ANY TYPE IS PROVIDED FOR ANY GRANT OR RELATED SERVICES OR ACTIVITIES. GRANT MAY NOT BE TRANSFERRED OR ASSIGNED. Grant (or any portion thereof) may not be substituted, except by the Foundation, which reserves the right to substitute the Grant (or portion thereof) with something of comparable or greater value. Non-monetary portions of Grant cannot be redeemed for cash. Grant recipients are responsible for all federal, state and local taxes associated with acceptance and use of the Grant.
It is anticipated that Grant funding will be awarded by December 13, 2024.
Grant Requirements
Grant recipients must complete all program-related surveys. Grantees that do not fulfill these requirements will not be eligible for potential media coverage related to the program. The Foundation reserves the right to require repayment of the Grant if a Grant recipient does not fulfill these requirements.
Grantees should, but are not required to, complete Steps 1 and 2 of the Small Business Readiness for Resiliency (R4R) program by December 31, 2025.
General Conditions
Released Parties are not responsible for lost, late, incomplete, damaged, inaccurate, stolen, delayed, misdirected, undelivered, or garbled Applications, Notifications, messages, email, mail, or other communications of any kind; or for lost, interrupted or unavailable network, server, Internet Service Provider (ISP), website, or other connections, availability or accessibility, or miscommunications or failed computer, satellite, telephone or cable transmissions, lines, or technical failure or jumbled, scrambled, delayed, or misdirected transmissions or computer hardware or software malfunctions, failures or difficulties, or other errors or difficulties of any kind whether human, mechanical, electronic, computer, network, typographical, printing or otherwise relating to or in connection with the Grant Program, including, without limitation, errors or difficulties which may occur in connection with the administration of the Grant Program, the processing or reviewing of Applications, the announcement of the Grants or in any Grant Program-related materials. Released Parties are also not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by site users, tampering, hacking, or by any equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Grant Program. Released Parties are not responsible for injury or damage to any Applicant's computer or other device related to or resulting from participating in the Grant Program. Applicants who tamper with or abuse any aspect of the Grant Program, who act in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or who are in violation of these Terms and Conditions, as solely determined by the Grant Program Entities, will be disqualified and all associated Applications will be void.
CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE GRANT PROGRAM MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, THE GRANT PROGRAM ENTITIES RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES AND OTHER REMEDIES (INCLUDING ATTORNEYS’ FEES) FROM ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW, INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.
If, for any reason, the Grant Program is not capable of running as planned, the Foundation reserves the right in its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Grant Program at any time. By submitting an application or by being an Applicant, you understand that there is no joint venture, partnership, employment or agency relationship between or among you and any of the Grant Program Entities, or other partners arising from any Application or Grant.
The decisions of the Foundation regarding the Grant Program and Grant recipients thereof are final, and Applicants specifically agree that such decisions are not subject to review or appeal in any forum whatsoever, including courts of law.
If Grant Recipient does not comply with these Terms and Conditions, the Foundation reserves the right to require repayment of Grant.
Data Collection and Use
Any information provided as part of this Grant Program is provided according to the Application website Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, as they may be amended from time to time, and as provided for in these Terms and Conditions.
By submitting an Application, each Applicant consents to the Foundation’s processing of personal information provided by the Applicant in connection with their Application and the Grant Program in order to facilitate the administration of the Grant Program. The Foundation may also share personal information provided by Applicants in connection with their Application and the Grant Program to the Grant Program Entities to facilitate the administration of the Grant Program, to contact Grant recipients for media and public communications, as required by applicable law, or for any other purpose the applicable Grant Program Entity conveys to you in writing.
All Applicants grant permission to the Grant Program Entities, their respective affiliates, and each of their respective officers, directors, shareholders, employees, agents, or representatives to use anonymized data pertaining to location, industry, and other Application information (except for anything that would be identifying to the Applicant) to prepare and distribute public-facing impact reports.
Release of Liability
By submitting an Application, Applicant agrees on behalf of themself and each of their respective heirs, executors, administrators, legal representatives, agents, successors, and assigns (“Releasing Party”) to release, defend and hold harmless the Grant Program Entities, and their affiliates, advisors, agents, licensees, and any social or other media used for the Grant Program, and all of their respective officers, directors, and employees as applicable (collectively, “Released Parties”), from any and all causes of action, suits, debts, dues, sums of money, accounts, reckonings, bonds, bills, covenants, contracts, controversies, promises, lost profits, indirect or direct damages, consequential damage, incidental damages, punitive or exemplary damages, judgments, claims, and demands whosoever, in law, or equity, whether known or unknown, foreseen or unforeseen, which any Releasing Party has or may ever had, now or hereafter, arising from or related to the Grant Program, these Terms and Conditions, any Application materials, including but not limited to any use or non-use of any Application materials, delivery, misdelivery, acceptance, possession, attendance at, travel related to, misuse, and/or use of or inability to use, any Grant.
1 The Designated Disaster Area includes disaster declarations for Tropical Storm Helene, Hurricane Helene, and Hurricane Milton.
