Sacramento County offers $2,500 grants to small businesses, freelancers. Here’s how to apply

Sacramento County is offering one-time $2,500 grants to roughly 669 “micro businesses” to assist entrepreneurs, small business owners and freelancers who are still feeling the economic sting of the pandemic.

Funded by the state’s Office of the Small Business Advocate, people can start applying for grant money April 1 through the county’s Sac4Micro website. The application period closes April 29.

Microbusinesses are typically businesses that generate less than $50,000 in revenue annually, and have fewer than five full-time employees.

Two out of three of Sacramento County’s more than 52,000 business establishments are microbusinesses, according to the county’s economic development director Troy Givans

“The pandemic has been especially hard on our small business community, in particular, our minority-owned businesses,” he said in a statement. “The county is excited to partner with CalOSBA to offer another resource to help the microbusinesses access funding to recover.”

Examples of microbusinesses include hair and make-up stylists, interior design professionals, graphic designers, freelance writers, caterers, photographers and event planners.

To be eligible, the business must have existed before January 2020 and still be operational, and must have made less than $50,000 in gross revenues in the 2019 taxable year. Applicants must also show they experienced a 10% or greater reduction in revenue in the 2019 to 2020 tax years.

Additional eligibility requirements can be found on the county’s Sac4Micro application website at www.sac4micro.org.