As part of the government's package of business support, a lot of businesses that are the ratepayer for commercial premises but pay little or no Business Rates are getting cash grants.
Initially the government said that the payment of grants to businesses that claim Small Business Rates Relief (who should get £10,000) and retail, hospitality and leisure businesses (who should get more if their property has a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000) would be dished out automatically by local authorities, and that businesses should sit tight and wait to be contacted. But in practice, that's not what all councils are doing.
We've already seen some councils contacting relevant businesses and paying the grants out right away where they hold bank details for the ratepayer. That's how the system was expected to work.
However, it turns out that other local authorities are making business apply. That's what our local council, South Oxfordshire District Council, for example, are doing:
http://www.southoxon.gov.uk/business/business-rates
Moral of the story, if you're waiting to be contacted, it'd be worth looking at the website of your council. And don't forget that you should be eligible for the £10,000 grant, even if you pay no Business Rates at all because your premises qualify for Small Business Rates Relief. But if you don't occupy commercial premises, or you do but you're not the ratepayer yourself, there's no grant available.