OK, It's Monday. Grant applications (for the first round, at least), are due tomorrow.
Time to get your stuff together, literally.
So, you've heard about the Pennsylvania Small Business Grant (that's $200 million in CARES Act money being distributed directly to businesses). You've looked at the list of stuff you'll need to submit (I hope) -- it's not that long. You don't need much.
But what do they want when they say to upload your "entity documents?"
There are actually several different documents that comprise your "entity documents" or "organizational documents" -- we're not talking about all of them today. We're just looking at what you'll need to upload for purposes of this grant.
Short and sweet, here goes:
If your company is an LLC:
Upload your Certificate of Organization. It looks like this:
You'll know you're uploading the right version if yours has a black box in the upper right-hand corner with your Entity Number and date.
Please don't upload a draft, because the drafts do not evidence actual registration.
If your company is a corporation:
Upload your Articles of Incorporation. It looks like this:
You'll know you're uploading the right version if yours has a black box in the upper right-hand corner with your Entity Number and date.
Please don't upload a draft, because the drafts do not evidence actual registration.
If you are a sole proprietor or partnership, and you have NOT filed LLC or corporation documents with the Pennsylvania Department of State (example:, John Doe dba Doe Painting):
Upload your Ficitious Firm Name Registration. It looks like this:
You'll know you're uploading the right version if yours has a black box in the upper right-hand corner with your Entity Number and date.
Please don't upload a draft, because the drafts do not evidence actual registration.
You can also upload a business license issued by your local city, township, etc.
There you have it -- Entity Documents 101 for the PA Small Business Grant applications.
To select from a list of lenders in your county, start here: https://pabusinessgrants.com/pick-a-cdfi/
AND REMEMBER ... there are 2 STEPS to the application process! First, you'll submit information by typing it into the Lendistry software (accessed by using the pabusinessgrants.com link above, clicking on your county, then starting your application through one of the CDFIs (Community Development Financial Institutions) listed. AFTER you submit your information, you'll receive an e-mail with a link to upload all of the requested documents. Entity Documents are just one of several documents you'll need to upload in this second step.
If a requested document doesn't apply to your business (for example, if you're not a brand new company, you probably won't need to upload the requested Profit & Loss Statements) -- you can take a blank sheet of paper, write "This Does Not Apply to My Business," scan it, and upload that as your PDF for that request.
Best of luck, and get those applications in before Tuesday, July 14 at 11:59 PM! (I'm hearing that late applications will be accepted, but considered in the next round, so it's probably not the end of the world if you don't submit by tomorrow night).