Application Resources

The Asheville Recovers Together Grant Fund is a $14 million small business recovery program funded by the City of Asheville through CDBG-DR (Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery) funds. The program provides reimbursement-based grants to eligible businesses impacted by Tropical Storm Helene.

The program is administered by Mountain BizWorks, Arts AVL, and Eagle Market Streets.

The Asheville Recovers Together Grant Fund has $14 million available for small business grants.

Grant awards will range from $5,000 to $75,000.

The amount each business receives will depend on things like:

• Your business revenue
• Number of employees
• Storm-related losses
• Program priorities that ensure that the overall grant pool is representative of Asheville’s small business community geographically, by sector or industry, and by size.

CDBG-DR stands for Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery.

This is federal funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). It is used to help communities recover after disasters.

These funds come with specific rules about who can apply and how the money can be used.

The basic eligibility requirements of the program are:

• The business has a principal location within Asheville city limits
• It was operating before September 27, 2024
• The business lost income due to Tropical Storm Helene and has not been fully covered by insurance, grants, crowdfunding, SBA loans, or other aid
• It is open now or has a plan to reopen
• All owners with 20% or more ownership are legal U.S. residents as defined by PRWORA
• The business made at least $20,000 in revenue in one of these years: 2023, 2024, or 2025
• It is in good standing (no active bankruptcies or tax liens, and not blocked from receiving federal funds)

The following businesses are not eligible for this program:

• Nonprofits
• Cannabis-related businesses
• Passive real estate or investment businesses
• Short-term rental properties (STRs)
• Political or lobbying organizations
• Adult entertainment businesses
• National franchise or chain businesses owned by a corporation

For this program, a business is an activity carried out to earn income by selling goods or services. This can include full-time or part-time work, as long as the activity is ongoing and intended to generate income.

A business may be formally registered (such as an LLC or corporation) or unregistered (such as a sole proprietor), but it must operate as a real, income-generating activity.

Eligible businesses will meet the US Small Business Administration (SBA) size standards for their primary industry as defined by the applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code. Eligible businesses must be independently owned and operated, and not dominant in their field of operation on a national basis.

Some NAICS code standards are based on the number of employees and others are based on revenue. You can view the full SBA Table of Size Standards here.

This program uses the IRS definition for Active vs. Passive ownership. See the IRS guidance about Material Participation in IRS Publication 925 (2025), Passive Activity and At-Risk Rules. Passive real estate or investment holdings are not eligible for this program.

For this program, all principal owners of the business (anyone who owns 20% or more) must be legal residents of the United States.

This requirement follows a federal law called the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA). This law sets rules for who can receive certain types of federal funding.

In general, this means each owner must have a legal right to live in the United States under federal law.

You will be asked to confirm this as part of the application.

If any owner with 20% or more ownership does not meet this requirement, the business is not eligible for this program.

View a full list of eligible statuses under PRWORA.

Yes. Artists, makers, performers, and other creative professionals are eligible if they meet all other eligibility guidelines including but not limited to having a business located within Asheville city limits before September 27, 2024.

Physical damage includes property loss or damage due to utility outages (e.g., loss of perishables), direct impacts from flooding, wind damage, mudslides, etc., as well as additional operating costs like generators, potable water systems/trucking in water, and satellite internet.  

You may still be eligible if your business lost income due to Tropical Storm Helene, even if there was no physical damage or property loss. This may include canceled events, reduced tourism, lost customers, or other disruptions caused by the storm. 

Applicants are encouraged to share complete details about Helene’s impact on their business.

This grant is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through a disaster recovery program called CDBG-DR. The funding was awarded to the City of Asheville.

Because of this, the funds must be used to support businesses and residents within Asheville city limits.

The City recognizes that Tropical Storm Helene impacted businesses across Western North Carolina. However, this specific funding is limited to businesses located in the City of Asheville.

For more information, contact the City of Asheville at cdbg-dr@ashevillenc.gov.

For this program, a principal place of business is defined as a physical location within Asheville city limits, as documented by a verifiable street address, where the applicant regularly conducts its core business operations. This location must be controlled, leased, or owned by the applicant, and the business must be able to demonstrate site control of the location as verified by the supporting documents listed below.

Site Control Supporting Documents: 

• Current commercial lease, contractual agreement or deed for the business location 

• Utility bills (electric, water, gas, internet) in the business name 

• Business license or local occupation tax certificate listing the address 

• State or local sales tax registration tied to the physical address 
• Payroll records showing employees reporting to that location

Characteristics of Core Business Operations: 

At a business’s Asheville location, core operations must include more than one of the following:

• Maintains day-to-day operations 

• Makes management decisions 

• Maintains a main site of employees, production, or service delivery 
• Generates business revenue tied to the disaster area

You must be able to show a valid street address for this location.

You can use the Asheville address checker tool to check if your location is within city limits.

For businesses operating at more than one location, the Asheville location must qualify as a primary operational base of the business.

Businesses displaced by Tropical Storm Helene will have to reopen within City limits prior to receiving grant funding disbursements.

You can use the Asheville address checker tool to check if your location is within city limits.

Your business must be physically located within Asheville city limits to be eligible for this program.

Your business must be physically located within Asheville city limits. This is because this is a City of Asheville grant fund.

Having an Asheville mailing address does not always mean you are inside city limits.

You can use the Asheville address checker tool to check if your location is within city limits.

If your business is physically located within Asheville city limits, you may be eligible.

You can use the Asheville address checker tool to check if your location is within city limits.

You might be eligible.

A qualifying place of business within Asheville city limits is defined as a location where the applicant regularly conducts its core business operations and that is controlled, leased, or owned by the applicant. The business must be able to demonstrate site control of the location as verified by supporting documents such as a lease. For businesses operating at more than one location, the Asheville location must itself qualify as a primary operational base of the business as a whole.

In addition, a qualifying business must be independently owned and operated, and not dominant in its field of operation on a national basis.

Only businesses that were located within Asheville city limits at the time of Tropical Storm Helene (9/27/2024) are eligible for this program.

This program is for businesses that are currently located within Asheville city limits. If you were located in Asheville at the time of Tropical Storm Helene, you had to relocate out of Asheville because of the storm, and you now have a viable plan in place for returning to Asheville, you may be eligible and will be asked for additional details and supporting documentation if you are selected for a grant. Businesses displaced by Tropical Storm Helene will have to reopen within City limits prior to receiving grant funding disbursements.

So long as your business was already incorporated; had established a principal place of business in Asheville; and experienced financial losses due to Tropical Storm Helene that were not covered by insurance, SBA Disaster Loans, other sources of relief funding, or grants; then you may be eligible for funding.

You may be eligible if your business can demonstrate a physical location within Asheville city limits where you regularly conduct core business operations. You must be able to demonstrate that you control, lease or own the location.

You do not need a physical storefront to be eligible for this program.

Many businesses work from studios, shared workspaces, or home offices.

You may be eligible if your business:

• Has a physical location within Asheville city limits
• Meets all other eligibility requirements

Home-based businesses may be eligible if your home is located in the City of Asheville and is your primary business location, or if you can demonstrate site control of a location with the City through a contract, lease or other supporting documentation. See full guidance above in the question, “What does principal place of business mean?”.

You must provide proof of your Asheville business location, such as a utility bill or lease. PO boxes and mailing addresses are not accepted.

If a business owner can demonstrate site control of a location where they have primary business operations in Asheville they may be eligible. See full guidance above in the answer to “What does principal place of business mean?”.

This program is limited to funding businesses who have been in continuous existence since before Tropical Storm Helene. Businesses which experienced a change of ownership, merger, or other event that caused the formation of a new entity may be eligible, so long as the applicant can demonstrate continual operation under substantially the same form. Additional supporting documentation and proof (a purchase agreement, articles of incorporation from the prior entity and new entity, etc.) will be required to validate eligibility. 

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Businesses which closed and then later reopened as a substantially different business concept are NOT eligible for this program.

Your business does not have to be locally owned to be eligible for this program.

However, local ownership is one factor used in scoring.

You will be asked to:

• Share whether at least 50% of owners live in Buncombe County or nearby counties (Madison, Yancey, Haywood, Rutherford, Polk, Henderson, or Transylvania)
• List all owners who have 20% or more ownership

Yes. Solopreneurs are eligible along with other business entities.

Sole proprietors may be eligible for this program. You do not need to have an LLC or corporation.

However, you must:

• Have been in business before September 27, 2024
• Report business income on your federal tax return (such as Schedule C)
• Provide required tax documents
• Show proof of your business address

If you do not report business income on your taxes or cannot provide the required documents, you may not be eligible for this program.

You may still be eligible for this program if you received insurance payments.

However, grant funds cannot pay for costs that your insurance has already covered.

You must report any open or pending insurance claims.

Grant funds from this program cannot pay for costs that insurance has already paid for or is expected to pay for.

You may be eligible for this program even if you received an SBA Disaster Loan.

You must report the loan in your application.

You must also show that your business still has storm-related losses that have not been covered by other funding.

Having a business loan does not disqualify you from this program. You will be asked to share details about SBA disaster recovery loans in your application, and that information will be one factor used to calculate your unmet need after Tropical Storm Helene.

You may be eligible for this program if you received an AB-RTGF grant.

You must report this funding in your application.

You must also complete your required reporting for your AB-RTGF grant by July 14, 2026 to be eligible.

This means you cannot be paid twice for the same loss.

Grant funds from this program cannot be used for costs that were already covered by:

• Insurance
• SBA loans
• Grants
• Crowdfunding
• Other disaster relief funds

You must report all disaster-related funding you have received in your application.

Business owners at any income level may be eligible for this program.

This program follows federal guidelines that prioritize supporting low- to moderate-income (LMI) individuals and communities. Many types of businesses can support this program goal.

For example, your business supports low- to moderate-income individuals and communities if it:

• Employs people with low or moderate incomes
• Is located in and serves a community with low or moderate incomes
• Is owned by someone with a low or moderate income

Your business’s ability to support low- to moderate-income individuals and communities is only one factor considered in scoring applications. Your business may be eligible even if you do not meet any of the examples above.

You will be asked to share your household income and size as part of the application. This information is used only to meet federal funding requirements.

To qualify, your business must have been physically located within Asheville city limits and operating prior to September 27, 2024.

If you temporarily relocated due to Tropical Storm Helene but your principal business location was within Asheville at the time of the storm, you may still be eligible if you have documented plans of returning your business to Asheville soon.

Documentation may be required to verify your pre-storm location.

If your business has permanently relocated outside of Asheville and is no longer based within city limits, you will not qualify under this program.

Grant funds can be used to support business stabilization, recovery, reopening, and growth after Tropical Storm Helene.

This may include expenses related to:

• Payroll and employee retention
• Rent, utilities, insurance, and other operating costs
• Inventory, supplies, materials, or equipment
• Repairs or replacement of business property
• Contract labor or professional services
• Marketing, communications, or customer outreach
• Technology, e-commerce, or business service upgrades
• Business planning, financial management, or recovery support
• Other reasonable and necessary business recovery expenses

We will work with you to develop a grant agreement that outlines your approved use of funds.

Grant funds cannot be used for:

• Personal expenses or non-business costs
• Expenses already covered by insurance, loans, or other funding (no duplicate payments)
• Construction costs
• Political contributions or lobbying activities
• Alcohol purchases, including the purchase of alcohol inventory
• Illegal activities

Additional federal restrictions may apply.

For full details, see the eligibility and use of funds information in the Application Guide located above in the Application Resources section of this webpage.

Yes. Grant funds are considered taxable business income in the year the funds are received.

No. Meeting eligibility requirements does not guarantee funding. Grant awards will be determined based on available funds, storm impact, business size and revenue, number of jobs supported, and program priorities that ensure that the overall grant pool is representative of Asheville’s small business community geographically, by sector or industry, and by size.

We encourage all eligible businesses to apply and we are committed to making transparent and timely funding decisions.

Grant awards will range from $5,000 to $75,000.

The amount you receive will depend on your business revenue, number of employees, storm-related losses, and program priorities that ensure that the overall grant pool is representative of Asheville’s small business community geographically, by sector or industry, and by size.

Not always. You may receive less than the amount you request in your application, and in some cases, we may offer you a larger grant that you requested in your application.

No. All complete applications received by the deadline are given equal consideration, regardless of when they were submitted.

Not all eligible applicants may receive funding.

Applications will be reviewed and selected based on applicant eligibility, available funds, and program priorities such as unmet need, the number of jobs supported, and ensuring that the overall grant pool is representative of Asheville’s small business community geographically, by sector or industry, and by size.

We encourage all eligible businesses to apply.

A reimbursement grant means you pay for expenses first, then get paid back.

If you are awarded a grant:

• You will sign a grant agreement that lists your approved expenses
• You will submit receipts and documentation to request payment

This program is designed to reimburse:

• Expenses you have already paid (February 1, 2026 or later), or
• Expenses you plan to pay in the next few months as part of normal business operations

We will work with selected business owners to develop grant agreements and reimbursement structures and schedules that work for their business needs. You will review your grant agreement before signing it to make sure it reflects your needs.

This is a reimbursement grant. You must pay for eligible expenses first, then request reimbursement. The goal of this program is to reimburse for expenses you have already incurred or expect to incur as part of regular business operations over the next few months.

If your application is approved:

• You will sign a grant agreement that lists your approved expenses
• You will submit receipts and other documents to request payment

We will work with selected business owners to develop grant agreements and reimbursement structures and schedules that work for their business needs.

How quickly you receive funds depends on when you submit your reimbursement request.

• Some businesses may receive funds within a few weeks if they already have eligible expenses from after February 1, 2026
• All reimbursement requests must be submitted within one year of signing the grant agreement
• All reimbursements will be made in 2026 or 2027
• Each request may take up to 45 days to review and process

Payments will be made by direct deposit (ACH).

You must provide proof of payment to receive reimbursement.

If you cannot provide documentation, those expenses cannot be reimbursed.

Only expenses from February 1, 2026 and later are eligible for this grant. You can use funding from this program to pay current operating expenses, including rent, payroll, marketing, etc. Your grant agreement will specify exactly which expenses are eligible.

No. These are reimbursement-based grants.

You must apply online at www.ashevillerecoverstogether.org.

Your application must be submitted by July 14, 2026 at 12 p.m. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.

You cannot save your progress and return later. We recommend preparing your answers in advance.

You can use the Google Doc or Word Doc version of the application located at the top of this webpage to draft your answers, then copy and paste them into the online form.

No. All complete applications submitted by the deadline are reviewed equally.

You will need to provide:

Proof of your business address

• Examples: utility bill, payroll records, or current lease
• Must show your business’s current primary physical address
• PO boxes and mailing addresses are not accepted

Photo ID

• A clear color copy of a valid government-issued ID
• Examples: North Carolina driver’s license, passport, or military ID

Tax documents

• 2023, 2024, and 2025 federal tax returns
• If you have not filed your 2025 taxes yet, you may submit a 2025 year-end profit and loss statement instead

If you are a sole proprietor:

• Submit your personal federal tax returns (these include your business income)

If your business started in 2024:

• You do not need to submit a 2023 tax return

Income records

• Monthly profit and loss statements (preferred), or
• Bank statements from your main business account

You will need to provide:

• One month after Tropical Storm Helene when your business was most impacted
• One similar month before the storm for comparison

Additional documentation may be required for selected applicants before grant agreements are finalized.

See full guidance in the online Application Guide on the program website Application Resources page.

You can submit a 2025 year-end profit and loss statement instead.

It is your responsibility to upload the correct documents. Please review your full application carefully before submitting.

If you realize you uploaded the wrong document before the deadline on July 14th at 12 p.m., email grants@mountainbizworks.org right away.

After the application closes:

• Reviewers may contact you if a document issue could affect your application
• If contacted, you will have 5 business days to provide the correct document 

You should not send additional documents unless they are requested. Documents sent after the deadline without a request will not be reviewed.

No. You do not need a UEI (Unique Entity Identifier), CAGE (Commercial and Government Entity) code, or a NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) code to apply.

If you are awarded a grant, you will need an active UEI, a CAGE code, and NAICS code(s) before you can receive funds. These are received or selected during the federal registration process at Sam.gov.

You can:

• Learn more about the Federal Registration process here
• Complete your federal registration here 

Getting a UEI or a CAGE code can take time, so we recommend starting the process after you submit your application.

Asheville Recovers Together is a Federal financial assistance program. The registration process on Sam.gov will ask you to select a “Purpose of Registration”. You should select “Bid on Contracts and Apply for Assistance” (the “All Awards” option). This selection ensures that your business is registered as both an applicant and a recipient of Federal funds.

It will also ask you which organization asked you to sign up. You should indicate that the City of Asheville asked you to sign up.

The funding for this grant is coming from a Federal disaster recovery grant (CDBG-DR) through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Federal law requires all recipients of Federal funds to have an active UEI and a CAGE code.

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Yes. You can apply for more than one business if:

• Each business is a separate legal entity
• Each business has its own Tax ID

If businesses are related (for example, owned by the same person or company), there is a combined funding limit of $150,000 across all of them.

If the business is a single business entity with multiple locations in Asheville, that business should submit one single application. For their principal location address, they could select the one with the most revenue or the one they use for business registration documents. While you will select one location as the principal place of business, you can provide additional information in the narrative to help reviewers understand the storm impact across all locations. The estimated economic impact from the storm should be cumulative across all Asheville locations.

Closely-related businesses that operate under separate legal entities should submit separate applications for each legal business entity. Total awards to closely related businesses will not exceed $150,000 across all of the related entities. Closely related businesses include those sharing the same ownership, small local chains made up of different LLCs with similar ownership, or independent locations operating under the same business name.

Yes. While both of these programs are being funded through the same Federal disaster recovery (CDBG-DR) program, you can apply to both of them.

However, these programs cannot pay for the same expenses.

Applications will be reviewed across programs to make sure there is no duplication of benefits.

Information from your application will be shared with other CDBG-DR program administrators, such as Venture Asheville, for this review.

Visit the Venture Asheville Optimist Ventures website to learn more about their program.

Instead of asking each applicant to provide their own estimates for revenue losses, the program will use a standardized approach to estimate lost revenue. This ensures that each business’s losses are calculated in the same way and allows our reviewers to evaluate applications objectively.

The calculation for lost revenue for this program will combine data from the Most Impacted Month, the Comparison Month, and the annual financials provided. Applicants won’t need to verify the estimates. They only need to provide the required documents.

All businesses will be evaluated using the general program scoring rubric. In addition, arts-based businesses and creative entrepreneurs will be evaluated using the arts-based scoring rubric.

The rubrics consider factors such as:

• unmet storm-related need,
• job retention and creation,
• benefit to low-to-moderate income communities,
• local impact,
• business stability,
• and the strength of the recovery plan.

Applications with higher scores are generally more competitive. However, final award decisions may also consider available funding, overall program demand, geographic distribution, industry representation, and City of Asheville and HUD program requirements.

All funded businesses must retain or create at least one job.

Use the descriptions below to choose the stage that best fits your business:

• Not operating – Your business is closed and not providing services
• Partially operating – You are open, but at a reduced level (limited staff, hours, revenue, or access)
• Open but not financially stable – You are fully open, but finances are still unstable (debt, low savings, ongoing losses, or relying on recovery aid)
• Open and financially stable – Your business is stable, but still dealing with some storm impacts (like delayed repairs or rebuilding customers)
• Fully recovered – Your business is back to normal or better, with no remaining storm-related issues

If you receive a grant, some basic information may be shared publicly, including:

• Your business name
• Your award amount
• The number of jobs supported by your grant

All other information will only be used for program administration purposes.

Yes. If you receive a grant, you will need to:

• Keep records of how you spend the funds
• Report on the results and impact of the grant
• Respond to any additional information requests

You may need to do this for up to three years after the grant period.

Free help is available at ashevillerecoverstogether.org.

You can find:

• FAQs
• Tutorials
• Applicant resources
• Links and information about how to schedule time with a Technical Assistance Provider

Staff at the City of Asheville, ArtsAVL, Eagle Market Streets Development Corporation and Mountain BizWorks are NOT able to answer applicant questions. 

All application questions will be referred to our Technical Assistance Providers. 

If you have problems with the online application form or the program website, email: grants@mountainbizworks.org