Tampa’s Downtown REfund Program is an emergency grant focused on providing financial aid to support basic needs to maintain business operations of small businesses that have invested in the local economy by locating in Tampa’s Downtown.  The fund offers a direct payment of $1,000 to eligible applicants, with a total budget of $50,000 to support the program.  This award is a grant, and the recipient will not need to repay the funds at any time.  The SSD Advisory Committee will be the party responsible for the review of eligibility and approval of applications.  Grant applications are considered on a first-come, first-served basis and distributed until all funds are depleted.  Payment checks will be administered directly to the applicant via first-class mail upon approval by the committee. 

• Commercial lease and mortgage payments
• Supplies and administrative expenses deemed critical for business operations
• Utility fees
• Equipment or programs needed to assist the business with a transition to temporary digital services (e.g., webcams for virtual trainings, software licensing for videoconferencing, online retailing software)

• Business must be located within the Downtown SSD boundary (Diagram A)
• Applicant must be the owner of the business
• Business owners with multiple locations within the SSD may submit one application for each site. A separate application must be submitted for each location
• Business must be locally owned and operated
• Small business sectors whose operations are reduced and/or closed by state or local order beginning March 20, 2020:
  • Restaurant and café
  • Retail soft goods
  • Grocery, floral market, and general merchandise
  • Personal care services
  • Art galleries
  • Live music, theater, and other performing arts venues
  • Bars, pubs, and nightlife establishments
• Must be an established business with 12+ months of operations

Diagram A: Special Services District Boundary (in yellow)

• Signed Application, completed legibly and in full
• Paid, current, and/or past due invoices and receipts for eligible expenses that meet the grant amount of $1,000. The documents must be attached to the application form at the time of submittal and must be dated from no earlier than March 20th – June 30th, 2020.
• Copy of the business license
• Copy of business owner’s driver’s license or state identification card