Grant Overview

Small business owners in Hillsboro are facing a unique kind of pressure right now. Between shifts in federal immigration enforcement and local economic instability, many local mainstays from the bakeries on TV Highway to the salons downtown have seen customer traffic drop and revenues slide. If your restaurant or retail shop has gone quiet and you are wondering how to keep your staff on payroll without taking on more debt, the Hillsboro Small Business Stabilization Program was built for you. This city-funded initiative offers up to $10,000 in direct grants to help stabilize operations for businesses proving real impacts. It is not a typical growth grant; it is emergency triage designed to keep your doors open and your workers employed. Read on to see how to document your 2025 revenue decline and finish your application before the February 27 deadline.

Key Grant Information

Active

12 days left

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Hillsboro Small Business Stabilization Program

Funded by City of Hillsboro

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Grant Snapshot

Grant Award

$10,000

Application Deadline

February 27, 2026 12 days left

Eligible Region

Hillsboro, Oregon, United States

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Eligibility and Benefits

Eligibility Criteria

• Must have an active Hillsboro business license
• Business must be physically located in Hillsboro
• Minimum of two workers including family members or part-time staff
• Eligible sectors include restaurants and mobile food units and food markets and bakeries and grocery stores and retail
• Sole proprietors without employees are not eligible
• Gross revenue must not exceed 2250000 dollars in 2023 or 2024
• Three years of financial records required for 2023 and 2024 and 2025

Grant Benefits

• $10,000
• Direct grant for payroll and rent and utilities and inventory
• No matching funds required
• Fast decision timeline with funds released by March 20 2026

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Focus Areas

Hillsboro Grants Business Grant For Hillsboro ICE Impact Relief

Hillsboro Small Business Eligibility Checker

This quick tool helps you navigate the specific gate requirements for the stabilization fund. It checks your worker count and industry sector and revenue caps to give you an immediate recommendation on whether to apply or look for alternatives. It is a fast way to see if your Hillsboro storefront qualifies before you start the paperwork.

If the checker confirms you are eligible: start gathering your 2023 through 2025 financial statements immediately. If you are not eligible: check the related grants section below for programs that accept sole proprietors. If you are unsure: contact the City Finance office or book a consultation with our team to verify your document status.

Who This Emergency Grant Actually Supports

The City of Hillsboro designed this program for established food service and retail operations that serve as community anchors. This is not a general-purpose grant for tech startups or consulting firms. The focus is on businesses with physical storefronts like hair salons and nail salons and neighborhood markets that rely on steady foot traffic. Because the program aims to protect local jobs, you must employ at least two people. However, the City explicitly allows family members and part-time workers to count toward this total, recognizing the reality of how many Hillsboro shops operate.

The ICE impact requirement: what you need to explain

A unique part of this application is the requirement to describe how federal immigration enforcement has affected your business. You do not need to prove direct ICE activity at your specific door. Instead, you need to explain in a few sentences how the broader atmosphere has thinned your customer base or disrupted your staff. For example, if your lunch rush dropped by 30 percent because community members are staying home, that is a factual impact the City wants to hear. This is a local general fund program, not a federal one, which provides a layer of protection for applicants sharing these sensitive details.

What you need to submit for a strong application

The February 27 deadline is firm and the City requires three years of financial documentation. You will need to show a year-over-year revenue decline in 2025 compared to previous years. Tax returns for 2023 and 2024 are standard, but for 2025, you can use bank statements or point-of-sale exports to show the dip. You also need a stabilization plan of under 1,500 characters. Do not just say you need the money; explain exactly which six weeks of payroll or which month of rent the 10,000 dollars will cover.

How the review committee scores your business

Decisions are made by a committee that looks at three main factors: the severity of your financial impact, how long you have operated in Hillsboro, and the quality of your stabilization plan. Businesses with deeper roots in the community get a scoring edge, but newer shops can still win if they show a clear and urgent need. The City has partnered with organizations like Adelante Mujeres and Centro Cultural to provide free bilingual help, so if the paperwork feels overwhelming, reach out to them early.

Timeline and what to expect after applying

The window is tight with applications closing on February 27 at 5:00 PM Pacific. The committee works quickly with decisions expected by March 11 and funds released by March 20. If you are approved, you will be required to complete a follow-up evaluation within 12 months to show how the grant helped stabilize your shop. This accountability ensures the local general fund money is effectively supporting Hillsboro's economic health.

Q: Are sole proprietors eligible?
A: No. The program requires at least two workers to focus on job protection. Solo operators should check our related grants for alternatives.

Q: Can I use the grant for new equipment?
A: No. Funds are restricted to stabilization costs like payroll and rent and utilities and inventory.

Q: What if I do not have a 2025 tax return yet?
A: Use year-to-date profit and loss statements or bank exports to show the 2025 revenue decline compared to 2024.

Terms you should know

• Stabilization Plan: A 1500-character narrative explaining how you will use funds to survive and maintain operations.
• ICE Activity Impact: The social trigger for this grant requiring a brief description of how enforcement policies reduced customer visits.
• Hillsboro Business License: The mandatory local registration required to operate within city limits and receive funding.
• Revenue Cap: The 2.25 million dollar limit on gross revenue for 2023 and 2024 to ensure funds reach small shops.
• Evaluation Committee: The group scoring applications based on financial need and community longevity and plan quality.
• General Fund: Local taxpayer money used for this program which offers more flexibility than federal grants.
• Mobile Food Services: Specifically included sector covering food trucks and carts operating in Hillsboro.
• Commercial Storefront: A retail category that includes hair salons and nail salons and physical shops.
• Revenue Decline: The mandatory year-over-year drop in 2025 gross income that proves your business needs support.
• Allowable Expenses: Costs like payroll and rent and utilities and inventory that the grant is allowed to cover.
• Award Pool: The total 200000 dollars available which suggests about 20 grants of 10000 dollars will be issued.
• Bilingual Assistance: Free help in Spanish and English from partners like Adelante Mujeres and Centro Cultural.
• Program Evaluation: A mandatory report due 12 months after receiving funds to track the grant impact.
• Tax Compliance: Requirement to be current on all local and state and federal taxes to qualify.
• Gross Revenue: Total money coming into the business before any expenses or taxes are deducted.
• CognitoForms: The online platform the City uses to collect and process grant applications.
• Job Retention: The primary goal of the program which is why businesses must have at least two workers.
• Public Record Notice: Warning that application data is public though trade secrets can be flagged for protection.

How Grantaura helps you secure funding

We know that as a business owner, you do not have hours to spend decoding government jargon or hunting for missing application links. Grantaura provides the clarity you need to decide if a grant is worth your time and the support to make sure your application is competitive. For this Hillsboro program, our experts can review your financial statements and help you frame your ICE impact narrative professionally to ensure your story is told clearly.

Book a Free Consultation | Explore Our Services

About Imran and the Grantaura Mission

Imran Ahmad founded Grantaura to level the playing field for small business owners who often miss out on funding because of complex paperwork. Having handled over 300 successful projects, he focuses on programs like this Hillsboro grant because they offer direct and meaningful support to local mainstays. His goal is to ensure that every eligible family business in Hillsboro has the tools to secure the 10,000 dollars they deserve.

About Imran | Book a Free Consultation

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