As of Oct. 5, the county micro-grant is full with a waitlist. See the Broward Small Business Micro-Grant waitlist guide.
Where Broward Grant Money Starts
In Broward, the most direct public grant for a very small business comes from the county itself. The Small Business Micro-Grant Pilot Program was established by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners and is run by the Office of Economic and Small Business Development, known as OESBD. The county describes it as working capital for small businesses located in Broward, “intended to assist the smallest of Broward businesses that need financial assistance.”
The money is modest and specific. Qualifying owners can apply for $5,000, or $2,500 if they received a grant in 2024 or 2025, and the award reimburses eligible expenses the business has already paid within the 180 days before its application date. Grants go out first come, first served, and OESBD says its staff offer one-on-one technical assistance in person or online. For a florist in Hollywood or a two-person design studio in Fort Lauderdale, that makes the program less a windfall than a refund on costs already carried, which is exactly why preparation matters.
The Rules That Decide an Application
The county’s eligibility list reads like a checklist of an owner’s paperwork. The business needs a Broward County and a city Business Tax Receipt for 2025 or 2026, registration with the Florida Division of Corporations, current tax filings for 2024 or 2025, and operations that began on or before Oct. 1, 2024. It must be for-profit, earn $1,000,000 or less in gross annual revenue, employ 20 or fewer full-time people, and not belong to a national chain. Applicants must own at least 50 percent of the company, alone or together, and the business must not be suspended or debarred from government contracts, grants or loans.
Location is judged by the business address on the application. An owner’s home address counts only for a home-based business, which must submit IRS Form 8829. The county allows one application per business, however large its eligible expenses. Some business types are excluded outright, including golf courses and country clubs, massage parlors, adult entertainment, tanning and hot tub facilities, gambling venues, and stores that mainly sell alcohol or tobacco for off-premises use.
What the Money Covers
Eligible expenses include inventory and supplies, business equipment, rent or mortgage on commercial space, publicity and marketing such as signs, flyers and brochures, commercial security systems, commercial liability insurance, and professional services provided directly to the business, such as legal work. Purchases on a credit card count when the card is in the business name, and every receipt must carry the business name.
The prohibited list is just as important. The county will not reimburse payroll, taxes, utility bills, debts, late fees, travel, art, alcohol or tobacco, a work vehicle purchase or lease, deposits on a new space, prepaid expenses such as insurance, renovations or home improvements, fees owed to Broward County, home insurance, or personal car insurance. Anything not on the eligible list is excluded. An owner planning a storefront refresh, for example, should know that new signage can qualify while the buildout behind it cannot.
The Paperwork to Assemble Now
Broward lists the documents an application must include: a signed W-9, the most recent county and city Business Tax Receipts for 2025 or 2026, proof of active status with the Florida Division of Corporations for at least two years, federal business tax returns for 2024 or 2025, employment documentation or an employment documentation waiver for businesses with no employees, government-issued identification, the program’s grant terms and conditions, and proof of eligible expenses paid within the 180 days before applying.
Because the 180-day window moves with the calendar, the receipts that would qualify today will not all qualify in spring. Owners who keep a running folder of business-name receipts, renew their tax receipts on time and keep their state filing active are the ones ready to move if funding reopens. The county page notes that the 2026 terms and conditions are still “to be posted soon,” so check it again before submitting anything.
Reading the Waiting List
For now the program is full. The county says that because of high demand, every intake appointment for this funding cycle has been scheduled and new applicants are placed on a waiting list, to be contacted if more funding becomes available. The practical move is to call OESBD at 954-357-6400, confirm your place on the list and ask what documents to have ready. The county scheduled three public information sessions in April 2026, in Lauderdale Lakes, Pompano Beach and Fort Lauderdale, and watching the program page for a new round of sessions is a reasonable way to spot the next cycle early.
Beyond the County Program
OESBD’s work reaches well past one grant. The office lists workforce development, business expansion and retention, small business growth, international trade and export readiness, entrepreneurial development, and access to county procurement among its areas of focus. Owners who want to sell to the county can start with its procurement and small business programs through the same office and the same phone number.
Several Broward cities and community redevelopment agencies run their own programs on separate rules and calendars. Recent examples on The Sundaze Gazette include Build Tamarac’s micro grant and tenant improvement program, the Margate MCRA Property Improvement Program and the Deerfield Beach CRA commercial facade grant. Employers training staff can also look at CareerSource Broward’s employer training money, and the SoFla Business Grants and Incentives Guide collects programs across the region.
Updated Oct. 9, 2026: program status, eligibility, expenses and documents were rechecked against Broward County’s micro-grant page.
Sources
- Broward County OESBD, Small Business Micro-Grant Pilot Program
- Broward County Office of Economic and Small Business Development
Related reading: Florida Protected Series LLC Is Live: What Owners Get. For no-cost help preparing grant paperwork, see our FAU and FIU SBDC coaching guide.
Key Facts for Owners and Search
Can Broward owners apply for the county micro-grant right now?
Not directly. As checked Oct. 9, 2026, Broward County’s micro-grant page says “all appointment slots for the micro-grant applications intake have been scheduled based on the funding allocated for this cycle” and “applicants are being placed on a waiting list.” Applicants on that list “will be contacted in the event that additional funding becomes available.”
How much does the micro-grant pay?
Up to $5,000 in reimbursable expenses, first come, first served, for eligible costs paid within 180 days before the application date. Businesses that received a grant in 2024 or 2025 may apply for $2,500. County Commission records show a fiscal year 2026 budget of $250,000, and OESBD staff offer one-on-one technical assistance in person or online.
What are the exact eligibility limits?
The county lists gross annual revenue of $1,000,000 or less, 20 or fewer full-time employees, operation on or before Oct. 1, 2024, Broward County and city Business Tax Receipts for 2025 or 2026, Florida Division of Corporations registration, current 2024 or 2025 tax filings, majority ownership of 50 percent or more, for-profit status and no national chain.
Which expenses qualify, and which do not?
Eligible: inventory and supplies, business equipment, commercial rent or mortgage, publicity and marketing, commercial security systems, commercial liability insurance and professional services, with receipts in the business name. Prohibited: payroll, taxes, utilities, debts, late fees, travel, art, work vehicles, deposits on a new space, prepaid expenses such as insurance, and renovations.
Where is the program page now, and whom should owners call?
The county moved it to broward.org/econdev/SmallBusiness/SmallBusinessMicroGrant; the old address now sends visitors to the OESBD home page. The page still says the 2026 Terms and Conditions are “to be posted soon.” Call OESBD at 954-357-6400 about the waiting list, and keep receipts ready in case funding reopens.
