On January 5, 2021, the County of El Paso will make $10 million available to aid small businesses located in El Paso County which have been negatively impacted by COVID-19 through its Financial Assistance for Safety, Technology and Economic Resilience (FASTER) program. This assistance is available in several forms, including grants, loans, and technical assistance.
Funding Tier Prioritization:
January 5, 2021:
Tier I: $6 million will be available to businesses located outside of the City of El Paso and within El Paso County.
Tier II: $4 million will be available to businesses located within El Paso city limits.
March 5, 2021:
Any remaining Tier I funds will be made available to any business located within El Paso County, including businesses located within El Paso city limits.
Qualifications: Non-Profit organizations and businesses located in El Paso County that can demonstrate a negative impact due to COVID-19 and who have implemented a health and safety policy pursuant to County Judge’s Orders. We strongly encourage your business to take the Pledge to Safety.
For all FASTER program guidelines and qualifications click HERE
Click here for a list of answers to frequently asked questions.
For available program applications and information, please continue scrolling down and see below.
Note: The financial assistance provided by these programs comes in several forms. Many programs, such as grants, do not need to be repaid; however, they may be considered taxable income. Others, such as loans, have loan forgiveness opportunities. Please read the terms of the programs carefully. Businesses may apply to combine both grant and loan opportunities but the total awards shall not exceed the maximum loan allowed. However, businesses are encouraged to limit their application(s) to one loan provider (Community Foundation, LiftFund, PeopleFund) and one grant provider (EP Chamber, El Paso Hispanic Chamber) to streamline processing of applications. Technical assistance grants offered by Workforce Borderplex Solutions may be combined with other grant and loan programs as well.
Disclaimer: FASTER Program information presented here is subject to change upon final approval by the El Paso County Commissioners Court in January 2021. The program information is intended to provide awareness of the program guidelines and proposed FASTER Program Administrators. Any updates to the program will be shared via this website.
For any questions on the programs please contact the El Paso County Economic Development Department at [email protected]
NOTE: This is not an application.
It is your responsibility to reach out directly to program administrators of the various grant, loan, and assistance programs if they have not contacted you directly. For assistance please contact the El Paso County Economic Development Department at [email protected] or call (915) 546-2177
Administered by Borderplex Community Capital (EP Community Foundation)
$35K to $125K
Zero Interest & Forgivable Loan Program
Large Loan Program: Click Here
Mario Porras
915-533-4020
[email protected]
LiftFund & PeopleFund
Up to $50K
Zero Interest & Forgivable Loan Program
People Fund Loan Program: Click Here
Lift Fund Loan Program:
No Longer Taking Applications
People Fund Loan Program:
Elvira Valles
915-213-1537
[email protected]
Lift Fund Loan Program:
Enrique Aragon
800-494-4973
[email protected]
** PLEASE APPLY TO ONE PROGRAM ONLY**
Workforce Solutions Borderplex
Based on Needs
Technical & Equipment Acquisition Assistance for Local Businesses
To Schedule an Appointment: Click Here
William Bush
915-351-6018
[email protected]
El Paso Chamber & El Paso Hispanic Chamber
Up to $10,000
Microgrants for Commercial Mortgage/Rental & Utility Assistance
The El Paso County FASTER program has exhausted grant funding and is no longer accepting applications for the above grant programs. If you are seeking financial assistance, please consider the forgivable loan programs also available under the FASTER program through the El Paso Community Foundation or People Fund. If you would like to be contacted regarding new grant opportunities, please fill out the referral form above. This site will be updated if additional grant funding becomes available.
El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce:
Patrick Espinoza
915.566.4066
[email protected]
El Paso Chamber:
Kristina Pena
915-534-0500
[email protected]
Administered by El Paso Chamber & El Paso Hispanic Chamber
Up to $10,000
Microgrants Supporting Operational Safety Improvements (PPE/Guards/Signage)
The El Paso County FASTER program has exhausted grant funding and is no longer accepting applications for the above grant programs. If you are seeking financial assistance, please consider the forgivable loan programs also available under the FASTER program through the El Paso Community Foundation or People Fund. If you would like to be contacted regarding new grant opportunities, please fill out the referral form above. This site will be updated if additional grant funding becomes available.
El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce:
Patrick Espinoza
915.566.4066
[email protected]
El Paso Chamber:
Kristina Pena
915-534-0500
[email protected]
A resource of private funding options to help small businesses. Browse options available nationally, or input a zip code to explore location-specific funding.
The American Rescue Plan Act established the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) to provide funding to help restaurants and other eligible businesses keep their doors open. This program will provide restaurants with funding equal to their pandemic-related revenue loss up to $10 million per business and no more than $5 million per physical location. Recipients are not required to repay the funding as long as funds are used for eligible uses no later than March 11, 2023.
Overview of Restaurant Revitalization Grant can be found here.
The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program was established by the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act, and amended by the American Rescue Plan Act. The program includes over $16 billion in grants to shuttered venues, to be administered by SBA’s Office of Disaster Assistance.
Eligible applicants may qualify for grants equal to 45% of their gross earned revenue, with the maximum amount available for a single grant award of $10 million. $2 billion is reserved for eligible applications with up to 50 full-time employees.
Disclaimer: The epbusinessstrong.org website is intended to provide awareness regarding important information relating to business operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Better Business Bureau does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information disclosed or product or service referenced on the epbusinessstrong.org website. Where available, original sources of information have been provided or cited. This information is not to be relied upon for legal or medical matters. If you need medical assistance, please contact your physician or dial 911. Sources of equipment or services provided are not considered an endorsement or guaranty of that service or product. The epbusinessstrong.org web site is updated regularly; however, if you become aware of any inaccurate or outdated information on epbusinessstrong.org, please contact us at [email protected] immediately.
