Up to 62 small Canadian businesses can apply for $10K grants to survive downturn

By John Chunn

Law360 Canada (May 25, 2020, 2:49 PM EDT) -- The Canadian Chamber of Commerce on May 25 announced a new program, the Canadian Business Resilience Network (CBRN) Small Business Relief Fund, to provide small Canadian businesses from coast to coast to coast with $10,000 grants to help their recovery efforts during these unprecedented times.

According to the chamber’s press release, the applications that best demonstrate how the funds will help the businesses, their employees and their communities will receive the funding.

The initiative, funded by customer relationship management (CRM) giant Salesforce, will help 62 small Canadian businesses recover and support their resilience, for a total of $620,000 in funds. Businesses can use the $10,000 grants to support their recovery efforts, including paying salaries, acquiring safety and personal protective equipment for staff, replenishing materials or paying for the measures required to adapt business models to the economic impacts of COVID-19, among other key priorities.

“During the COVID-19 crisis, the Canadian chamber’s mission is to help as many businesses as possible stay afloat and remain open. Small business owners put everything they have into their businesses, and these grants will help give a little bit back to them. Good people coming together is how Canadians have managed this crisis, and the Canadian chamber and Salesforce are following their lead, one business at a time,” said Perrin Beatty, president and CEO, Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

“Small business owners and entrepreneurs are innovative and resilient. To support the businesses who make our communities strong, our government has taken decisive action to help them keep their costs low, keep their teams together, and keep up with their operational expenses,” said Mary Ng, the minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade. “With the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Salesforce stepping up, even more small business owners are going to get the help they need at this critical time. We’re all in this together, and we’re going to be here for small businesses every step of the way.”

The grant will be targeted at small, for-profit businesses that have been operating for several years and are now experiencing challenges because of COVID-19. The application period will open on June 1, 2020, on the CBRN website and will close on June 12, 2020. The successful applicants will be announced in late June to early July 2020, with the funds being transferred to the successful applicants shortly thereafter.