Submit Applications for Washington Bridge Small Business Grant Program (US)

Grants for businesses located in Providence and East Providence will be administered and distributed by the respective cities. Grants for businesses located anywhere else in the state will be administered and distributed by Rhode Island Commerce.

Funding Information

• Businesses must have experienced at least a $500 revenue loss representing a minimum 10% of revenues. Grants awards will be made as follows:
  • $500: must have experienced a $500 or greater revenue loss
  • $1,000: must have experienced a $1,000 or greater revenue loss
  • $2,500: must have experienced a $2,500 or greater revenue loss
• Grant awards will be prioritized by percentage of revenue loss experienced. Awards will be made on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted.

Eligibility Criteria

• In order to be eligible for this grant program, businesses must meet the following criteria:
  • Experienced negative economic impact (minimum $500 and 10% revenue loss) as a result of Washington Bridge Reconstruction
    • For businesses established prior to December 1, 2022: to calculate revenue loss, sum your business’s total gross receipts or sales for the months of December 2022 and January and February 2023 (A) and your business’s total gross receipts or sale for the months of December 2023 and January and February 2024 (B). Subtract (A-B) and divide by A to calculate your revenue loss due to the bridge closure and reconstruction and multiply by 100 to get the revenue loss percentage. Your revenue loss percentage must be 10% or higher to be eligible for the program.
    • For new businesses opened between December 1, 2022 and June 1, 2023: to determine eligibility, calculate your total operating expenses (A) and your total gross receipts or sales (B) for the months of December 2023 and January and February 2024. Subtract (A-B) and divide by A to calculate your revenue loss due to the bridge closure and reconstruction and multiply by 100 to get the revenue loss percentage. Your revenue loss percentage must be 10% or higher to be eligible for the program.
  • Physically located in Rhode Island
  • For-profit businesses and non-profit entities
  • Rhode Island gross receipts of $2 million or less
  • Not owned by a nationally or regionally owned franchise
  • Not permanently closed
  • Not in or considering federal bankruptcy or state receivership
  • Be an established business in the state of Rhode Island prior to June 1, 2023
  • Not on federal do not pay list

Requirements

• This program requires applicants have the following documents available:
  • Government ID: All applicants must submit a photo ID with the application.
  • Documentation of gross receipts or sales: This information is required to calculate net financial loss and may be requested of applicants during the application review process. Documentation includes:
    • Point-of-sale (POS) system exports or screenshots,
    • General ledger or accounting software report (e.g., a profit and loss statement from an accounting software such as QuickBooks, FreshBooks, Xero) that shows annual revenue and monthly revenues for impact period, or
    • Tax filings (eg. quarterly income tax filing).
• The RI Commerce Corporation reserves the right to request additional documentation to demonstrate that a business meets eligibility criteria and other program requirements. A minimum of 10% of applications will be randomly selected for document review to confirm eligibility requirements are met.

For more information, visit Rhode Island Commerce.