American Express® Backing Small Businesses

Eligible small businesses are those businesses:

• that have been in operation on or before January 1, 2024,
• were located in a county/​parish/​borough listed as a Designated Area of a FEMA Declared Disaster with an incident date on or after January 1, 2024,
• that operated out of a physical location (meaning ​“brick-and-mortar” location) in an older or historic main street, downtown or commercial district in the United States or U.S. territories at the time of such disaster,
• that have not previously received a grant sponsored by American Express related to recovery from such disaster,
• that employ 20 or less full-time employees (including the company owners),
• that are a registered business entity in good standing in the state in which it was formed and the state in which it does business (e.g., not an unincorporated contractor or self-employed individual),
• that are not part of a national franchise.

Applicants must be an owner of the eligible small business and 18 years of age or older.

The disaster must be declared by FEMA, and includes all categories of Disaster Types and Incident Types. Incident Types include:

• Biological
• Coastal Storm
• Dam/​Levee Break
• Earthquake
• Fire
• Flood
• Hurricane
• Mud/​Landslide
• Other
• Severe Ice Storm
• Severe Storm
• Snowstorm
• Straight-Line Winds
• Tornado
• Tropical Depression
• Tropical Storm
• Typhoon
• Winter Storm

The incident date of the disaster must include at least one date on or after January 1, 2024.

The disaster must have at least one county listed as a Designated Area eligible for either Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, or both.

A small business with local significance is involved in and critical to the surrounding community and local culture. These businesses are often long-standing or legacy businesses that provide continuity and a sense of identity to a neighborhood.

Businesses with local significance have also been intentional about developing core values and a business model that supports their communities or addresses an acute community need. For example, a business that regularly hosts free concerts featuring local artists, or a shop that provides goods or services that are unique to the heritage and culture in the community.

Applications will be reviewed based on:

• Feasibility:
  • Can the proposed project be completed with $10,000 in funding? If not, have other funding sources already been secured to cover any overages?
  • Can the proposed project be realistically completed by September 30, 2025?
• Need:
  • What physical and/​or economic loss has the business experienced due to the disaster?
• Impact:
  • How will the grant funds help the business recover from the disaster?
  • Will the grant funds help the business return to normal operations in a brick-and-mortar location?
  • Will the grant funds be used to help the business leverage sales, re-grow customer base, or better prepare the business in some way for a future disaster?
• Community Significance:
  • How involved is the applicant’s small business in their community, both in the present and historically?
  • Does the business serve a community-specific need in its operation?

The grant application will open on Wednesday, May 7, at 9 a.m. CT and will close on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. CT. The application portal will be available on this webpage. To receive emails when the application opens and throughout the application period, as well as other small business resources and opportunities, please subscribe to receive ​“Small Business Resources, Information, and Updates” here >