Facebook Announces $100M Small Business Grant Program

Earlier this month Facebook announced that it will begin rolling out its small business grant program across the world to provide relief for companies affected by the coronavirus. Totaling $100 million in value, the program will provide funding to small businesses in over 30 countries via grants that are mostly cash, but will also include Facebook ad credits. The news comes one month after the tech giant launched its Business Hub.

$40 million of this will be allocated to 10,000 American small businesses. Beginning in Seattle and New York, the plan is to eventually launch the program in an additional 32 US cities.

Eligible businesses need not be active on Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp; however they must employ between 2 and 50 workers, have been in business for over a year, have experienced challenges due to covid-19’s impact, and be in or near a location where Facebook operates.

As well as the grant initiative, Facebook has launched a number of web resources to provide information about applying for SBA loans, how to better connect with customers at this time, and how to bring businesses more online. As well as this, it has expanded its digital services, upgrading its fundraising portal, offering digital gift cards, and enabling business pages to offer delivery and pickup.

“These are rolling out today in the US and our teams are working hard on bringing these tools to more countries, as we know they can be a lifeline for businesses to quickly get the capital they need until it is safe to open their doors again,” said Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg in a statement. “Small businesses are the heartbeat of their communities. We are determined to help and we know the road ahead will require a lot more from all of us.”

Business can begin the application process by heading to Facebook’s site and checking whether their location will be included in the program.

Brendan Garrett was a Reporter at deBanked.