Small Business Readiness for Resiliency (R4R) Grant
This grant is provided by U.S. Chamber Foundation
Grant Amount
$5KGrant Frequency
One grant per EIN per calendar year.
About This Grant
The R4R program provides post-disaster relief grants to small businesses (≤500 employees) that pre-register and meet program criteria. Activation occurs only for qualifying, state-declared emergencies within a set timeframe.
Grants are offered when R4R is activated for a specific disaster and region; distribution is dependent on available funds and the volume of applicants, with one grant per EIN per calendar year.
Frequency: Occurs per qualifying disaster event; each EIN may receive only one $5,000 grant, and each owner one grant for a single company per calendar year. Not all disasters trigger activation, and not all eligible businesses receive awards.
Start: Begins when a state‑declared State of Emergency or disaster declaration is issued and the Foundation, in its sole discretion, recognizes it as a qualifying Disaster. The program will not activate for declarations issued more than 45 days after the disaster date.
Application deadline: By the end of the Application Period specified in the invitation email sent to pre-registered businesses; late submissions will be invalid.
Note: Submitting an Application does not guarantee funding; decisions are final and based on eligibility, disaster impact, community benefit, remaining funds, and alignment with the Foundation’s charitable purposes.
How You Can Use the Funds
- Disaster recovery for the business; recipients must complete required surveys and any online educational courses. The Foundation may require repayment if requirements aren’t met.
Documents Required
- Completed online Application (all required questions answered, truthful, verifiable, original).
- Valid EIN that matches IRS verification.
- Business bank account details for ACH that can be verified as active.
- Any additional information the Foundation requests to confirm charitable purpose alignment.
Eligibility Requirements
- Small business with 500 employees or less
- Valid EIN and business bank account that accepts ACH.
- Self‑certify you reviewed the Emergency Preparedness Checklist and created an Emergency Action Plan.
- Registered in the online portal before the Disaster.
- Located (physical or online business) in a primary or contiguous county of the Designated Disaster Area.
- Employed 500 or fewer individuals at the time of the Disaster (includes owner, part‑time, and 1099).
- Qualifying business types: sole proprietorship, C‑Corp, S‑Corp, partnership, LLC (taxed as C‑Corp, S‑Corp, or partnership).
- Financially harmed, with at least $5,000 in damage/loss and insufficient resources to cover it.
- Not selected for any Foundation grant in the past calendar year.
- Not in an ineligible category (e.g., nonprofits; government/political entities; illegal activity; MLM/direct sellers; large franchise brands; businesses focused on diet aids, cannabis, gambling, tobacco/e‑cigs, firearms/weapons; private clubs limiting membership; religious instruction; sexual content beyond de minimis; Foundation insiders; sanctioned parties; or any posing reputational/legal risk).