Matlacha Hookers Hurricane Ian Small Business Grants available | News, Sports, Jobs

The Matlacha Hookers Inc. is a local 501c3 Non-profit organization established in 1998 with approximately 200 current members. After Hurricane Ian, the group adopted a GoFundMe for hurricane relief and then continued to raise funds for the Greater Pine Island area. The organization strives to make a positive difference in our community and has decided to use a portion of the money raised for hurricane relief and rebuilding for the locally owned and operated businesses of the Greater Pine Island area, dedicating $20,000 for this grant opportunity.

Eligibility criteria:

• Locally owned and operated businesses in the Greater Pine Island area. This is for small businesses. Non-profit or social clubs are not eligible.

• Open and operating at least one year prior to Hurricane Ian (9/28/2022) – must provide Sunbiz annual report for 2021 and 2022.

• Currently open

Weighted Criteria

(Total points an applicant can earn 100 points):

1) 20 points: What type of assistance, if any, did you apply for? (Eg. small business loan SBA,

2) 20 points: What did your business contribute to the Greater Pine Island area during the first 4 months of the recovery efforts?

3) 40 points: How can your business support the continued recovery efforts to Pine Island over the next 12 months?

4) 20 points: If you are chosen as a recipient, how would your business use the money?

Required information:

Location visits will be selected at random.

Questions on application must be completed in their entirety. If you are missing any of the required information on the application or do not include necessary supporting documents, your application will not be eligible to move to the ranking round.

If you are chosen as a recipient, the Hookers will request that you submit a narrative on how the grant made a positive difference in your business. The applicant agrees that this narrative may be published and shared to promote the Matlacha Hooker Hurricane Ian Grant Program and Greater Pine Island rebuilding initiatives.

Once applicants are determined to be eligible, the weighted criteria will be reviewed and scored. The ranking list will be completed and the top 10 highest scoring applicants will receive the grant. In the event there is a tie, applicants will then be chosen via a blind drawing. Each Business chosen will receive $2,000 grant. Only 10 businesses will be chosen.

Grant applications can be found on the Hookers website under the Hurricane Ian Recovery Tab. Completed applications and supporting documents can be mailed to the Matlacha Hookers, P.O. Box 111, Matlacha, FL 33993, and must be post marked by June 23, 2023.

If your business is chosen as a recipient, you will be contacted by a member of the committee to be invited to our July 10 General Membership Meeting for a check presentation. Those businesses not chosen will receive a letter from the committee acknowledging receipt of their application and thanking them for their submission. 

If you have questions about the grant process or criteria, please contact Julia Gaylor at “mailto:[email protected]”>[email protected]. Please add in the subject line “MH Grant Questions.”