Small Business Stabilization Program Grants

Información y solicitud en español

Hillsboro City Council approved the creation of the Small Business Stabilization Program in response to community feedback about the harmful impacts of federal immigration enforcement on local businesses in Hillsboro.

The program will help stabilize and retain small businesses in the community, especially those seeing a reduction in customer base resulting from ICE activity or experiencing economic instability.

Grant Awards Announced

The City of Hillsboro has awarded $249,000 in Small Business Stabilization Program grants to 64 local businesses — part of the City’s plan to support Hillsboro community members impacted by federal immigration enforcement.

Small business awards ranged from $1,500 to $10,000. A total of 92 eligible applications were received prior to the February 27 deadline to apply. The grant review committee consisted of representatives from:

the City of Hillsboro
Adelante Mujeres
Centro Cultural
Washington County Chamber of Commerce

Read the full announcement and see a list of grant recipients.

Funding & Goals

Funding

Grants of up to $10,000 will be awarded with a total of $200,000 available.

Funds for this program are coming from the City of Hillsboro General Fund.

Program Goals

Stabilize and retain Hillsboro’s small businesses during a period of economic instability, especially those seeing market impacts and a reduction in customer visits due to concerns about immigration enforcement.
Provide financial incentive to small businesses being impacted by current economic conditions to assist in retaining their business within the community.
Retain employment of employees of small businesses experiencing market impacts due to current economic instability.

Eligibility

Eligible Industry Categories:

Restaurants
Mobile food services
Food markets, bakeries, and grocery stores
Retail stores (including hair & nail salons and commercial businesses)

Presence in Hillsboro:

Business must be active and have a Hillsboro Business License
Preference will be given to businesses with a longer history in Hillsboro.

Business Type & Size:

Sole proprietors are not eligible
Businesses must have at least two workers which can include family members
Gross revenue should not have exceeded $2.25 million in 2023 and 2024

Other Requirements:

Be current on all local, state, and federal taxes
No outstanding compliance violations with the City of Hillsboro
Commitment agreeing to program conditions

Impact & Reporting

Provide three years of financial statements showing a year over year revenue decline for 2025.
Outline a plan for how the business will use grant funds to support payroll retention, rent, utilities, inventory, professional support, or other uses with a strong likelihood of success. Briefly describe how federal immigration policies have impacted your business. 1,500 character limit.

Recipients will be asked to complete a program evaluation within 12 months of award.

Grant Evaluation

Application Support

Applicants can request free assistance completing the grant application from community partners.

Assistance in español

Adelante Mujeres

Carlos Lopez
CLopez@AdelanteMujeres.org
503-367-6323

Centro Cultural

Jose Monroy Miranda
JMonroy-Miranda@CentroCultural.org
503-332-4876

Assistance in English & español

Washington County Chamber of Commerce

Yohana Parra
YohanaP@WCChamber.org
503-726-2145

See the application questions and download an application worksheet.

For additional questions, contact our Small Business Stabilization Team at 503-681-5492 or send us an email.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are sole proprietors ineligible?

The goals of the Small Business Stabilization Program include supporting small businesses in Hillsboro during a period of economic instability and retaining workers and employment opportunities at small businesses.

Based on the limited funds available for the current grant opportunity, it was determined that businesses with two or more workers (including part-time) would be eligible for funds in an effort to achieve all the program goals.

Potential options to support sole proprietors are being explored as part of the program. More information will be shared if there are additional opportunities.