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Business Eligibility

Business Eligibility

  • Michigan businesses that were in operation on or prior to October 1, 2019, are eligible to apply for and receive a Growing MI Business grant if:

    • The business is one of the eligible business categories;
    • The business submits a complete online application;
    • The business submits all financial and related documentation as required by the Michigan Department of the Treasury; and
    • The business can demonstrate that its total Michigan sales declined from calendar year 2019 to 2020 by at least 5%.

    Michigan businesses that were in operation after October 1, 2019, but started operations no later than June 1, 2020, are eligible to apply for and receive a Growing MI Business grant if:

    • The business is one of the eligible business categories;
    • The business submits a complete online application;
    • The businesses submits all of the financial and relate documentation as required by the Michigan Department of the Treasury; and
    • The business certifies that it was either partially or fully closed due to a Michigan Executive Order or an order issued by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

    Businesses that began operations in Michigan after June 1, 2020, are not eligible for the Growing MI Business grant program.

  • A campground may be eligible if the business can demonstrate all of the following:

    • that it owns or leases a facility, and/or is (or has receipts from) an organization that charges for access to the facility for purposes of recreation or public amusement,
    • that if it has a source of income that exceeds the rental or the charge for access, this income could not be earned without the access charge, or the business may be something other than a recreation facility or place of public amusement and may qualify, if at all, on that other basis
    • that the business operated in Michigan
    • is not tax exempt under the internal revenue code
    • is not a government entity
    • is currently open for business
    • meets certain sales reductions and expenditure requirements dependent upon dates of operation
  • No, legal cannabis growers are not “nursery growers” and do not fall into one of the nine eligible business types.

  • A golf course may be eligible if the business can demonstrate:

    • that it owns or leases a facility, and/or
    • that it is (or has receipts from) an organization that charges for access to the facility for purposes of recreation or public amusement, and
    • that if it has a source of income that exceeds the rental or the charge for access, this income could not be earned without the access charge, or the business may be something other than a recreation facility or place of public amusement and may qualify, if at all, on that other basis
    • that the business operated in Michigan
    • is not tax exempt under the internal revenue code of 1986, 26 USC 1 to 9834
    • is not a government entity
    • is currently open for business
    • meets certain sales reductions and expenditure requirements dependent upon dates of operation
  • No. Under the Growing MI business grant statute enacted by the legislature, non-profits are ineligible to receive this grant.
  • No. Tanning by light emitting equipment is not included in Cosmetology services.  Spray tanning qualifies only if done by cosmetologists as part of their cosmetology business.
  • Numerous types of businesses are eligible to apply, including: entertainment venues, recreational facilities and public places of amusement, barbers and cosmetologists, exercise facilities, food service establishments, nursery, dealers and growers, athletic trainers, body art facilities, and hotels and bed and breakfast establishments. 

  • No. Businesses that began operations in Michigan on or after June 1, 2020, are not eligible for the Growing MI Business grant program.

  • No. Home sharing and short-term rentals (e.g., Airbnb, VRBO) do not qualify to receive a Growing MI Business grant.

  • No, the Growing MI Business grant program requires that the business is open and operating to be eligible to receive a Growing MI Business grant.

    Business that only began after October 1, 2019, but before June 1, 2020, separately need to certify that their businesses were closed partially or fully as a result of an Executive Order or an order issued by the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (MDHHS). That is a different requirement. Even if these businesses were previously partially or fully closed due to a prior order, they are eligible to apply for and receive a Growing MI Business grant if they are now open.

     
  • These businesses are eligible based on the amount of business conducted in Michigan. The program limits the basis for awards to these businesses to Michigan sales only. The basis for the award will compare total sales to Michigan sales as part of the hardship calculation.
  • Only one business can apply per Tax Identification Number (TIN).

  • Yes, if the business has a physical location in Michigan and conducts business operations in Michigan, and separate financials are supplied for the location in Michigan, an applicant is eligible to apply for a Growing MI Business grant. If the location in Michigan does not have a separate Tax Identification Number (TIN) or does not file taxes separately from the headquarter office, the applicant should submit the tax return documents for the location of its headquarters.

  • If each subsidiary has a unique TIN and meets all program eligibility requirements, then all are eligible to apply.

  • A privately owned museum would be eligible to apply as an entertainment venue if it establishes all of the following: 1) that it owns or leases a facility 2) that it is (or has receipts from) an organization that charges for access to events with a stated duration, and 3) that if it has a source of income that exceeds the rental or the charge for access, this income could not be earned without the access charge.