To be eligible to receive a grant, a small business or microbusiness applicant must pass an online eligibility check, submit a complete application online with documents showing expenses during the most recent period of COVID impacts to businesses (only digital submissions will be accepted), and meet the following criteria:
Having your 2021 tax filing or return ready will speed the application process since it satisfies many of the supporting documentation requirements throughout the application, including proof of existence, annual revenue to determine the maximum grant award and can often verify payroll expenses and owner’s compensation, some of the expenses most likely to max out the award amount.
Start with the biggest expenses you can document first- payroll and rent. Any expenses in 2021 are unlikely to have been reimbursed through other COVID recovery funds previously.
Start with your 2021 expenses as those are unlikely to have been reimbursed through other COVID recovery funds previously.
Currently active and open for business and must be able to show proof of operations in Nashville/Davidson County prior to 9/30/19;
-Has a physical location and postal address in Davidson County (does not have to be its principal location);
-Employs no more than 50 full-time employees at a time (those working 35+ hours per week; employees, not hires) between 3/1/20 and 3/31/22;
-Has valid registration with State of Tennessee or with Davidson County prior to approval;
-Be a for-profit entity with gross annual revenues no less than $10,000 and that do not exceed $1,000,000;
-Follows all federal, state, and local regulations; and
-Operates locally with independent local owners or majority local ownership (51%); excludes businesses of a chain headquartered outside Davidson County.
Multiple locations in Davidson County will be limited to one combined application.
IMPORTANT NOTE: In the application portal, applicants will complete two pre-application steps – eligibility and third-party authorization – before they can proceed to the application. If applicants need to make changes to these sections after marking them ‘complete,’ they must start a new browser session and complete the pre-application steps again.
Applicants must submit documentation showing proof of business existence on or before 9/30/19, business revenue for the fiscal year ending on/before 12/31/21, and expenses for the covered period March 1, 2020 through March 31, 2022.
For the best and quickest application experience, applicants should gather or prepare the following documents prior to beginning an application:
-Davidson County business license
-State of Tennessee business registration or Certificate of Existence
-2021 tax returns (1040 Schedule C or federal small business tax return forms 1120 or 1065)
-Unexpired government-issued identification with residential address and photograph such as a driver license or passport
-Third-party applicant authorization form completed and signed, if applicable
To be eligible to receive a grant, a small business or microbusiness applicant must pass an online eligibility check, submit a complete application online with documents showing COVID-related expenses (only digital submissions will be accepted), and meet the following criteria:
-Currently active and open for business with at least 12 months of continuous operations in Nashville/Davidson County since 9/30/20;
-Has a physical location and postal address in Davidson County (does not have to be its principal location);
-Employs 50 or fewer full-time employees (those working 35+ hours per week) between 7/1/21 and 4/30/22;
-Has valid registration with State of Tennessee and with Davidson County prior to approval;
-Be a for-profit entity with gross annual revenues no less than $10,000 and that do not exceed $1,000,000;
-Follows all federal, state, and local regulations; and
-Operates locally with independent local owners or majority local ownership; excludes businesses of a chain headquartered outside Davidson County.
Multiple locations in Davidson County will be limited to one combined application.
The following businesses are not eligible to receive a grant under this program:
-Businesses with gross annual revenues more than $1,000,000
-All non-profits, churches, and other religious institutions
-Businesses primarily engaged in political or lobbying activities
-Landlords and passive real estate businesses, including AirBnB and vacation rentals
-Illegal businesses or enterprises
-Adult entertainment businesses
-Other industry or business types Metro determines should be excluded upon application review
Maximum award amounts are set according to a business’s annual gross receipts (for fiscal year ending on or before 12/31/21) as follows:
Award Maximum
$5,000
$10,000
10% of 2021 gross receipts
$35,000
2021 Gross Receipts
$10,000 - $50,000
$50,001 – $100,000
$100,001 - $349,999
$350,000 - $1,000,000
Award amounts will be based on the value of expenses businesses incurred during the covered period July 1, 2021 through April 30, 2022 and not previously reimbursed by other federal, state, or local recovery programs. To reach the maximum grant amount for the business’s revenue, eligible expenses must equal or exceed the maximum award amount. Amounts and calculations are subject to change by Metro Nashville.
Eligible expenses include:
payroll;
utilities;
insurance;
rent or mortgage payments for commercial property in Nashville/Davidson County (excludes prepayments);
heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC);
personal protection equipment (PPE) for worker and consumer health and safety;
machinery or equipment to operate the business;
supplies and materials required for compliance with COVID-19 health and safety protocols;
and others as approved by Metro Nashville.
To show eligible expenses the business incurred July 1, 2021 to April 30, 2022, applicants must submit fiscal year 2021 tax returns, such as 1040 Schedule C or other federal small business tax return forms (1120, 1065). Or, they may submit State of Tennessee Franchise & Excise tax form for fiscal year 2021; internally prepared financial statements for 2021 such as income statements generated by QuickBooks or other bookkeeping software (excludes hand-prepared or Excel documents); or payroll records, receipts, lease agreement or rent/mortgage payment statement.
Example Scenario: The owner of a bake shop with $250,000 in gross receipts would be eligible for an award up to $25,000. To max out the grant and recoup $25,000 in COVID-related expenses, the owner must submit documentation showing $25,000 in covered expenses like payroll. If the owner employs five people and can show $25,000 or more in payroll expenses, the business will get the maximum grant award. Or, in the case of a smaller payroll less than $25,000, the business owner could reach $25,000 by adding rent receipts and/or machinery or equipment costs for needs such accepting online orders or dishwasher purchase.
Applicants must be currently active and open for business and must be able to show proof of operations in Nashville/Davidson County prior to 9/30/19 and furnish supporting documents that include the State or Federal tax return for 2021 and business license or Secretary of State registration or Certificate of Existence.
To show 2021 revenue, applicants must submit fiscal year 2021 tax returns such as 1040 Schedule C or federal small business tax return forms 1120 or 1065. Or, they may submit State of Tennessee Franchise & Excise tax form for fiscal year 2021; 1040 Schedule C or federal small business tax return forms 1120 or 1065; internally prepared financial statements for 2021 such as income statements generated by QuickBooks or other bookkeeping software (excludes hand-prepared or Excel documents); or statements exported from PayPal, Venmo, cash apps or other payment, delivery and service apps that support revenues received.
The covered period runs July 1, 2021 through April 30, 2022 and refers to the dates during which a business’s COVID-related losses or expenses count towards the award amount up to the maximum allowed for that business’s revenue.
To reach the maximum grant amount for the business’s revenue, eligible expenses must equal or exceed the maximum award amount and cannot be previously reimbursed by other federal, state, or local recovery programs.
Eligible expenses include, as listed above:
payroll;
utilities;
insurance;
rent or mortgage payments for commercial property in Nashville/Davidson County (excludes prepayments);
heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC);
personal protection equipment (PPE) for worker and consumer health and safety;
machinery or equipment to operate the business;
supplies and materials required for compliance with COVID-19 health and safety protocols; and
others as approved by Metro Nashville.
Yes. The businesses must be distinct and separate entities with unique tax ID numbers.
Yes. The owner must legally attest the COVID-related expenses it incurred for the purposes of this grant request have not been previously reimbursed or covered by these other programs. Fund administrators may audit related documents and request supporting documentation.
Yes. The owner must legally attest the COVID-related expenses it incurred for the purposes of this grant request have not been previously reimbursed or covered by these other programs. Fund administrators may audit related documents and request supporting documentation.
No, not at this time.
Applicants must be currently active and open for business and must be able to show proof of operations in Nashville/Davidson County prior to 9/30/19.
Yes, as long as the franchise is majority-owned and operated locally. Businesses that belong to a chain headquartered outside Davidson County do not qualify.
... MY CLIENTS AY ME, AND I USE MY SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER FOR TAX PURPOSES. I DO NOT WORK UNDER A BUSINESS NAME, SO, I HAVE NOT REGISTERED MY BUSINESS WITHT THE STATE, AND I DON'T HAVE A BUSINESS BANK ACCOUNT OR OTHER DOCUMENTS WITH A BUSNESS NAME. DOES THIS MAKE ME INELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR A GRANT?
Your business may still be eligible to apply if you take the following additional steps to show proof of existence and complete your application prior to the 7/31/22 deadline:
1. Register with the State of Tennessee Secretary of State
2. Register with Davidson County Clerk
3. Open a business bank account
If your application is successful, you must provide the items listed above to receive funding for the grant awarded.
For help, enroll free in Pathway Lending’s short on-demand course How To File Your LLC In Tennessee and attend online anytime. Or, read Four Most Common Business Legal Structures.
Applicants must show at least 12 months of continuous operations in Nashville/Davidson County since 9/30/20 and furnish supporting documents. Other than tax filings, those include the business license filed with Davidson County or Secretary of State registration or Certificate of Existence
Applicants must also furnish supporting documents fort eligible expenses up to the amount of the requested grant award for the covered period July 1, 2021 to April 30, 2022. Those can include fiscal year 2021 tax returns, such as 1040 Schedule C or other federal small business tax return forms (1120, 1065). Or, they may submit internally prepared financial statements for 2021 such as income statements generated by QuickBooks or other bookkeeping software (excludes hand-prepared or Excel documents); or individual receipts, a copy of the lease agreement, rent or mortgage payment statements, or bank statements. For owner’s compensation, applicants should submit tax returns or filings such as the Franchise tax 2021 State of Tennessee Franchise & Excise tax form.
Tax filings are the preferred document since they validate proof of existence and revenue for your business’s fiscal year 2021 ending on/before 12/31/21. All covered income must be reported and claimed for tax purposes.
Yes, provided your business continues to operate within the legal structure of the bankruptcy process as verified by bankruptcy filings, documents and other means of business verification.
Metro Nashville designed the grant program to assign priority by zip code and Census tract to North Nashville and distressed areas in Metro Nashville.
Client borrowers with Pathway Lending may only apply for a grant through this program and must do so through the application portal following the same process as all other applicants. While Pathway Lending borrowers are not eligible to apply for a loan with this program, they may apply for other Pathway loan products.
We strongly encourage applicants to take the following steps to prepare before visiting the application portal:
1. Download and review the application guide at pathwaylending.org/nsbrf;
2. Attend an information session online or in person, offered in English or in Spanish. Find and sign up for a session at pathwaylending.org/nsbrf;
3. Gather required documents and business information; and
4.If you haven’t already, register your business with the Davidson County Clerk or the Secretary of State.
When applicants are ready, they can visit www.pathwaylending.org/nsbrf and look for a link to the application portal. Once you click “apply” you will leave Pathway Lending’s site and redirect to the application portal SMApply. After creating an account, applicants will proceed to the portal where they’ll complete two pre-application portions – eligibility and third-party authorization – before starting the application. For applicants who have all the needed documents ready, we estimate no more than an hour to complete the application.
For the best application portal experience, we recommend applicants use a desktop or laptop computer rather than a mobile or a handheld device (iPhone, Android, etc). We can only accept digital applications submitted through the application portal and will not be able to accept paper applications.
Applicants who need access to a computer or Internet may apply from a workstation at Pathway Lending (201 Venture Circle 37228) during business hours (M-F, 9A-5P) or can schedule an appointment by calling (615) 425-7171 or emailing Nashville@Pathwaylending.org.
We encourage applicants to complete the application on their own. Applicants who are unable to do so or who need translation services can request assistance via email to nashville@pathwaylending.org or from nonprofit partners named here.
In many cases, service providers other than Pathway Lending or nonprofit program partners may assist with the application process in exchange for a fee. Often, these providers offer a valuable service for a reasonable fee. We encourage applicants to be cautious in choosing a provider, especially those that seek an excessive fee or suggest wrongly they can guarantee an award.
Service providers completing an application on behalf of a business must verify a formal, written agreement is in place and provide the details of that agreement, including the fee. In all cases, grant awards will go directly to the applicant’s business bank account.
Yes. In order to receive funding, awardees must provide unexpired government-issued identification with residential address and photograph such as a driver license or passport.
If these are not available, contact Pathway Lending directly (nashville@pathwaylending.org or 615-425-7171) or seek assistance from a nonprofit you trust for additional options.
While this grant program assigns priority based on zip code or Census tract, not demographic characteristics, we will collect demographic data in the application for reporting purposes. For those purposes, we define "minority" to mean a person who is a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States and who is:
-African American: A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa.
-Hispanic American: A person of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.
-Native American: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North America.
-Asian American: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, or the Pacific Islands.
We encourage applicants to complete the application on their own. Applicants who are unable to do so or who need translation services can request assistance by email to nashville@pathwaylending.org or from nonprofit partners named here.
Pathway Lending can help applicants with the application process, but for help preparing supporting documents, applicants should consult nonprofit program partners.
Applicants who need access to a computer or Internet may apply from a workstation at Pathway Lending (201 Venture Circle 37228) by appointment only (email nashville@pathwaylending.org to make an appointment).
We can only accept digital applications submitted through the application portal and will not be able to accept paper applications.
No. We will process applications in the order we receive them and award grants on a first-come-first-served basis as long as funds are available. Applications must be received prior to July 31, 2022.
Yes. If applicants need to make changes to pre-application portions – eligibility and third- party authorization – they must start a new browser session and begin a new entry.
If applicants need to make changes to the application, they can make changes at any point before clicking “submit.” Applicants who need to make changes after submitting the application should contact Pathway Lending (nashville@pathwaylending.org or 615-425-7171).
If you have submitted the wrong document, contact Pathway Lending (nashville@pathwaylending.org or 615-425-7171), and we will provide a secure link where you can submit updated documents. Please do NOT send sensitive personal and business information by email.
To show eligible expenses the business incurred July 1, 2021 to April 30, 2022, applicants must submit fiscal year 2021 tax returns, such as 1040 Schedule C or other federal small business tax return forms (1120, 1065). Or, they may submit State of Tennessee Franchise & Excise tax form for fiscal year 2021; internally prepared financial statements for 2021 such as income statements generated by QuickBooks or other bookkeeping software (excludes hand-prepared or Excel documents); or payroll records, receipts, lease agreement or rent/mortgage payment statement.
Applicants may complete and submit a new application in cases where applications were declined for the following reasons:
-Supporting documentation was missing or incomplete
-Applicant missed deadlines to supply updated information or supporting documents
Applicants will receive email notification from the application portal. We encourage applicants to add noreply@smapply.net to their lists of safe senders to keep these email notifications routing to their inboxes and not SPAM or junk folders.
We notify the application contact by email when the submitted application is incomplete or missing correct information and allow 24 hours from sending the notification – or the next business day – to reply with the requested items. Applicants should take care to submit updated information or documents in the proper format outlined in the request.
...NEEDED IN ORDER TO APPLY FOR THE UPCOMING GRANTS OR LOANS AVAILABLE TO DAVIDSON COUNTY RESIDENTS?
Yes, partners will continue expanding the schedule of information sessions to continue throughout the program's duration to include additional in-person and virtual sessions.
We will also publish an online recorded version of the information session to the program website this week at pathwaylending.org/nashville.
The best way to stay up to date on those options is to keep an eye on the program site and dates listed in the sign-up form.
Pathway Lending will send funds in the amount of the grant award via ACH directly to the applicant’s business bank account. Once applicants receive notice of their awards, they can expect funds to arrive in seven to 10 business days. Recipients will also receive a 1099 for these grant funds for tax reporting purposes.
Maximum award amounts are set according to a business’s annual gross receipts as follows:
Award Maximum
$5,000
$10,000
10% of 2021 gross receipts
$35,000
2021 Gross Receipts
$10,000 - $50,000
$50,001 – $100,000
$100,001 - $349,999
$350,000 - $1,000,000
Award amounts will be based on the value of COVID-related losses and expenses businesses incurred during the covered period July 1, 2021 and April 30, 2022 and not previously reimbursed by other federal, state, or local recovery programs. To reach the maximum grant amount for the business’s revenue, eligible expenses must equal or exceed the maximum award amount. Amounts and calculations are subject to change by Metro Nashville.
Eligible expenses include:
payroll;
utilities;
insurance;
rent or mortgage payments for commercial property in Nashville/Davidson County (excludes prepayments);
heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC);
personal protection equipment (PPE) for worker and consumer health and safety;
machinery or equipment to operate the business;
supplies and materials required for compliance with COVID-19 health and safety protocols; and
others as approved by Metro Nashville.
To show eligible expenses the business incurred July 1, 2021 to April 30, 2022, applicants must submit fiscal year 2021 tax returns, such as 1040 Schedule C or other federal small business tax return forms (1120, 1065). Or, they may submit State of Tennessee Franchise & Excise tax form for fiscal year 2021; internally prepared financial statements for 2021 such as income statements generated by QuickBooks or other bookkeeping software (excludes hand-prepared or Excel documents); or payroll records, receipts, lease agreement or rent/mortgage payment statement.
Example Scenario: The owner of a bake shop with $250,000 in gross receipts would be eligible for an award up to $25,000. To max out the grant and recoup $25,000 in COVID-related expenses, the owner must submit documentation showing $25,000 in covered expenses like payroll. If the owner employs five people and can show $25,000 or more in payroll expenses, the business will get the maximum grant award. Or, in the case of a smaller payroll less than $25,000, the business owner could reach $25,000 by adding rent receipts and/or machinery or equipment costs for needs such accepting online orders or dishwasher purchase.
Grant award amounts depend on the value of eligible expenses and supporting documents applicants submit. For questions or to provide additional documents, contact Pathway Lending (nashville@pathwaylending.org or 615-425-7171). Applicants can monitor their application progress and award amounts through the application portal.
The grants can be used to fund business operations and are intended to allow businesses to recoup funds for eligible expenses incurred during the most recent period when COVID impacted operations. Grant awardees may not use the grant proceeds to repay or pay down any portion of a loan obtained through a federal COVID-19 relief package.
Yes. The grants can be used to fund business operations and are intended to allow businesses to recoup funds for eligible expenses incurred during the most recent period when COVID impacted operations.
No. Grant awardees keep the proceeds and do not need to repay them.
Pathway Lending also administers a loan program as part of NSBRF. Unlike a grant, loan funds are borrowed and must be repaid.