As of Monday, Oct. 5, Broward County’s Small Business Micro-Grant Pilot Program is full. The county’s program page says that “all appointment slots for the micro-grant applications intake have been scheduled based on the funding allocated for this cycle,” and that “applicants are being placed on a waiting list.” For owners who hoped to claim up to $5,000 in working capital, the question has shifted from how to apply to how to be ready if money appears.
This guide sets out what the county publishes about the grant, what it leaves unsaid, and what a prepared owner can do this week. Every fact below comes from county pages, county Commission records and county budget documents read on Oct. 4, 2026, and anything the county has not published is labeled that way.
What the County Says Today
The program is run by the Office of Economic and Small Business Development, known as OESBD, on behalf of the Board of County Commissioners. The page describes it as a pilot meant “to assist the smallest of Broward businesses that need financial assistance.” Grants are first come, first served, and the money reimburses expenses a business has already paid.
The waitlist notice is the first thing on the page. It adds that applicants on the list “will be contacted in the event that additional funding becomes available,” and encourages owners to “remain engaged for future opportunities.” The page lists no application link, and its line about the 2026 Terms and Conditions still reads “to be posted soon.” A Terms and Conditions file linked from the page returned a “not found” error when opened on Oct. 4.
The page also carries no posted date, so the notice cannot be tied to a day. Treat the status as current as of Oct. 4 and check again before acting.
What the Grant Pays
The headline number is $5,000 in reimbursable expenses. Businesses that received a grant in 2024 or 2025 may apply for $2,500, and the guidelines attached to the Commission item cap total funding for any one business at $5,000 over the life of the program. The expenses must have been paid within 180 days before the application date.
Here is the scale of the pot. Commission records show an approved fiscal year 2026 budget of $250,000 for the program. That money would cover 50 grants of $5,000 or 100 grants of $2,500, or a mix, though the county has not said how many awards it made. The guidelines also say funds are to be spread across all Commission districts, subject to eligible applicants.
Who Qualifies
The program page lists these requirements. A business must be eligible to receive government grants or loans, meaning it is not suspended or debarred. It must hold a current Broward County Business Tax Receipt and a city Business Tax Receipt for 2025 or 2026, be registered with the Florida Division of Corporations, and have current business tax filings for 2024 or 2025.
Size limits apply as well. The business must have gross annual revenue of $1,000,000 or less and 20 or fewer full-time employees. The applicant must own 50 percent or more, the business must be for profit, and it cannot be part of a national chain. The business must have been operating on or before Oct. 1, 2024.
Location is judged by the business address in the application, not the owner’s home, unless the business is home-based. Home-based businesses must submit IRS Form 8829. Only one application per business is allowed, however many eligible expenses it has. Some business types are excluded outright, including golf courses, country clubs, massage parlors, adult entertainment, gambling facilities and stores that mainly sell alcohol or tobacco.
One wrinkle is worth a phone call. The program page uses an Oct. 1, 2024 operating date, the Commission guidelines say “at least two years,” and the document list asks for two years of active status with the state. Those measures may not match for a business that opened in 2024.
What Counts as an Expense
Eligible expenses, per the page, are inventory and supplies, business equipment, rent or mortgage on the commercial space, publicity and marketing, commercial security systems, commercial liability insurance, and professional services provided to the business, such as legal work. Receipts must be in the business’s name, and card purchases must have been made on a card or account in the business’s name.
Prohibited items include payroll and salaries, taxes, utilities, debts, late fees, travel, art, vehicles, rental deposits for a new space, prepaid expenses such as insurance, and interior or exterior renovations. Alcohol and tobacco purchases are out, and so is anything not on the eligible list. An owner whose spending since spring went mostly to payroll and utilities may find few reimbursable receipts, which is better learned now than after an invitation arrives.
The Documents to Gather Now
The page lists nine items that must accompany a complete application. The guidelines attached to the Commission item say the county wants everything uploaded with the online application, including expense receipts, so a partial file does not count.
- A completed and signed W-9
- Your most recent Broward County Business Tax Receipt (2025 or 2026)
- Your most recent city Business Tax Receipt (2025 or 2026)
- Proof of active status with the Florida Division of Corporations for at least two years
- Federal business tax returns (2024 or 2025)
- Employment documentation, or an Employment Documentation Waiver if you have no employees
- Government-issued identification
- The signed Grant Terms and Conditions for the program
- Documentation of eligible expenses paid within 180 days before the application date
The Terms and Conditions are the awkward item, because the page says they are not yet posted. Ask OESBD where to get the current version rather than relying on an old copy.
How the Waitlist Works, and What Is Not Published
Here is what the county has put in writing and what it has not, as of Oct. 4.
| Question | What the county publishes |
|---|---|
| Is the cycle full? | Yes. Appointment slots are scheduled against the funding allocated. |
| Is there a waitlist? | Yes. Applicants “are being placed on a waiting list.” |
| Will waitlisted owners be contacted? | Only “in the event that additional funding becomes available.” |
| How do I get on the list? | Not published. The page lists a phone number, 954-357-6400. |
| How long is the list, and in what order? | Not published. |
| Do I need documents in advance? | Not published. |
| Will money reopen, and when? | No date or amount is published. |
The one contact route is OESBD at 954-357-6400, which the page lists for questions. No email address or office address for the program appears on the pages read. A phone call is therefore the practical way to confirm your place, ask whether your information is on file, and learn which documents the county wants first.
Could the Money Reopen?
The county has not said, but the paper trail suggests it is possible without making it likely. An item on the Commission’s April 14, 2026 agenda, File 26-336, asked the Board to approve the program for fiscal year 2026 and to authorize its continuation in future years “based on funding approved annually by the Board.” Continuation is therefore tied to yearly funding, not guaranteed.
Fiscal year 2027 began Oct. 1. The county’s Recommended Budget-in-Brief of July 15 lists “the Microgrant program” among the items funded through its Economic Development Program, with no separate dollar figure for the grants. At a June 16 budget workshop, a Commission priority list showed a request to “expand the MicroGrant Program with an increase to awards” as part of a $1,000,000 economic development item, and a separate request to continue a small business grant program at its fiscal year 2026 level of $250,000. The list placed both under a “Reviewing Further” column.
The county scheduled budget hearings for Sept. 10 and Sept. 22. Its budget page showed no adopted-budget document on Oct. 4, so this guide does not state what amount, if any, was adopted for the program in fiscal year 2027.
The 180-Day Clock and Your Receipts
The 180-day rule matters more on a waitlist than in a first-come rush. The page measures eligible expenses back from “their application date.” An owner who joins a list now and is invited months later could find that older receipts have aged out, while newer ones count.
What the county has not said is which date it will use for a waitlisted owner, the day you joined the list or the day you finally submit. Ask. In the meantime, keep a dated spreadsheet of qualifying purchases with the business account used, and aim for receipts that add up to at least $5,000, the amount the guidelines tie to the full grant, or $2,500 for a returning recipient.
If the Waitlist Does Not Come Through
Broward has other money that works differently. Our guide to Broward CRA and property-improvement grants covers programs tied to specific districts, and our overview of Broward small business grants sets out the wider field. Owners in Tamarac can also look at the city’s own micro grant and tenant improvement program, which has separate rules from the county’s. Our South Florida grants and incentives hub keeps the full list.
The county also says OESBD staff offer one-on-one technical assistance, in person or virtual, to explain eligibility and the application. For an owner on the list, that appointment is the cheapest way to find out whether a file would pass review.
Your Checklist for This Week
Start with the paper that takes longest. Confirm your state registration is active and has been for two years, and locate your most recent Broward County and city Business Tax Receipts. Find the federal return you filed for 2024 or 2025 and a government ID, and decide whether you have employees or need the waiver.
Then sort receipts into eligible and prohibited, by date. Call 954-357-6400 and ask five questions: how to be placed on the list, what order it follows, which date starts the 180-day clock, where the current Terms and Conditions are, and whether documents can go in early. Write down the date, the name of the person you spoke with and the answers.
Finally, set a calendar reminder to reread the program page every week. The county’s notice can change without a posted date, and a reopening would likely be announced there first.
Key Facts for Owners and Search
Is the Broward County Small Business Micro-Grant still open? As of Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, the county’s program page says all intake appointment slots have been scheduled against this cycle’s funding and applicants are being placed on a waiting list. Applicants on that list will be contacted only if additional funding becomes available. No reopening date or amount is published.
How much is the grant, and who gets the smaller amount? The Office of Economic and Small Business Development lists up to $5,000 in reimbursable expenses. Businesses that received a micro-grant in 2024 or 2025 may apply for $2,500, and the guidelines attached to the Commission item cap total funding at $5,000 per business over the program. Expenses must be paid within 180 days before the application date.
Who is eligible for the Broward micro-grant? The county lists for-profit businesses with a Broward County and a city Business Tax Receipt, state registration, current tax filings, revenue of $1,000,000 or less and 20 or fewer full-time employees. Applicants must own at least 50 percent, the business cannot be a national chain, and it must have been operating on or before Oct. 1, 2024.
What documents does the application require? The program page lists a signed W-9, county and city tax receipts, proof of two years of active state registration, a federal tax return for 2024 or 2025, employment documentation or a waiver, government ID, the signed grant terms, and receipts for eligible expenses paid within 180 days. The 2026 terms were listed as “to be posted soon.”
How do I contact the county about the waitlist? Call the Office of Economic and Small Business Development at 954-357-6400, the only program contact the county page lists. The county has not published how to join the list, its length or its order. Ask which date starts the 180-day expense window for waitlisted applicants and where to get the current terms.
Sources: These pages were opened on Oct. 4, 2026.
- Broward County, Small Business Micro-Grant Pilot Program
- Broward County, Office of Economic and Small Business Development
- Broward County Commission, File 26-336 (April 14, 2026)
- Broward County, Exhibit 1: Small Business Micro-grant Program Guidelines
- Broward County, FY27 Recommended Budget-in-Brief, July 15, 2026
- Broward County, Commissioner priorities for the FY27 budget, June 16, 2026
- Broward County, Budget page
