Question 1

FEDERAL BUSINESS RESOURCES

Accepted Answer

FEDERAL     1.

Question 2

NEW JERSEY BUSINESS RESOURCES

Accepted Answer

NEW JERSEY   1. New Jersey Small Business Development Center Headquarters: To better assist New Jersey’s small business owners and entrepreneurs, we have prepared this website with coronavirus-related small business updates, resources, and support.   2. NJEDA E-Commerce Technical Assistance Intake Form: In order to help stores, restaurants, and personal care businesses continue to operate safely, the NJEDA has partnered with e-commerce contractors throughout the State to provide free assistance for businesses that need help with web page design, online order fulfillment, online booking, digital payments, and other technology-related challenges.   3. New Jersey Department of Labor (DOL): NJDOL and the Coronavirus (COVID-19): Updated Information for Employers & Businesses   4. NJ COVID-19 Business Support Eligibility Wizard: This is a beta version of the Eligibility Wizard that focuses on newly announced State Emergency Assistance programs and the SBA disaster loan program.   5. NJ.gov FAQ for Businesses: Search for help with COVID-19’s impact or rules on reopening. Or submit a question via the live chat   6. NJEDA Latest News: Latest Press & News from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority   7. NJ Division of Taxation: COVID-19 Related Tax Information   8. One Jersey Pledge Posters For Businesses: To help stop the spread of COVID-19 and save lives, New Jersey businesses, organizations, employees, and customers can participate in the One Jersey Pledge, committing to follow health and safety guidelines during New Jersey’s economic and social restart and recovery.

Question 3

FEDERAL FUNDING (SBA)

Accepted Answer

SBA   CARES ACT Overview: The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a $2 trillion stimulus package aimed at addressing the impact of COVID-19.  The CARES Act includes:   1. COVID-19 EIDL:This loan provides economic relief to small businesses and non-profit organizations currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue.   2. Paycheck Protection Program: This forgivable loan helps businesses keep their workforce employed during the COVID-19 crisis.   3. Restaurant Revitalization Fund: This program provides assistance for eligible restaurants, bars, and other food service businesses impacted by COVID-19   4. Shuttered Venues Grant: The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program provides emergency assistance for eligible venues. 5. SBA debt relief: SBA provides a financial reprieve to existing borrowers during the pandemic. 6. Cross-program eligibility: A summary of the criteria to meet when considering different funding options.

Question 4

STATE FUNDING (NJ & NY)

Accepted Answer

NEW JERSEY    NJEDA Small Business Emergency Assistance Grant Program (PHASE 2): Announced on June 9, 2020; NJEDA will award a total of $45 million in federal CARES Act funding to small businesses. To support the Governor’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, $15 million will be reserved for businesses in Opportunity Zone-eligible census tracts, $15 million of Phase 2 funding will be set aside to support qualified businesses located in one of the 715 census tracts that were eligible to be selected as a New Jersey Opportunity Zone. Small Business Emergency Assistance Loan Program: A $10 million program that will provide working capital loans of up to $100,000 to businesses with less than $5 million in revenues. Loans made through the program will have ten-year terms with zero percent for the first five years, then resetting to the EDA’s prevailing floor rate (capped at 3.00%) for the remaining five years. Micro Business Loan Program: On June 9, 2020, the NJEDA Board approved an expansion of the Micro Business Loan Program to provide support to a wider range of New Jersey micro businesses. The application for the expanded program is currently in development, and expected to be available in late July 2020. NJEDA has suspended accepting applications for this program until the new application is ready. NJ Entrepreneur Support Program: A $5 million program that will encourage continued capital flows to new companies, often in the innovation economy, and temporarily support a shaky market by providing 80 percent loan guarantees for working capital loans to entrepreneurs. Small Business Emergency Assistance Guarantee Program: A $10 million program that will provide 50 percent guarantees on working capital loans and waive fees on loans made through institutions participating in the NJEDA’s existing Premier Lender or Premier CDFI programs. Emergency Technical Assistance Program: A $150,000 program that will support technical assistance to New Jersey-based companies applying for assistance through the U.S. Small Business Administration. The organizations contracted will be paid based on SBA application submissions supported by the technical assistance they provide. Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI) Emergency Loan Loss Reserve Fund – A $10 million capital reserve fund to take a first loss position on CDFI loans that provide low-interest working capital to micro-businesses. This will allow CDFIs to withstand loan defaults due to the outbreak, which will allow them to provide more loans at lower interest rates to microbusinesses affected by the outbreak. CDFI Emergency Assistance Grant Program: A $1.25 million programs that will provide grants of up to $250,000 to CDFIs to scale operations or reduce interest rates for the duration of the outbreak. To check on the status of an NJEDA Grant, go here: https://forms.business.nj.gov/grant-2-status/   Additional details on the NJEDA’s new programs, including complete eligibility requirements, are available here: https://cv.business.nj.gov.   NEW YORK New York City Employee Retention Grant Program: Small businesses with one to four employees can apply for a grant of up to $27,000 that covers 40% of payroll costs over the course of two months. You must show that you lost 25% of your revenue due to the coronavirus. Refer to New York City’s coronavirus resource page for small businesses for more information. New York City Small Business Continuity Fund: If your business has fewer than 100 employees, you can get up to $75,000 in interest-free loans from the city to cover revenue losses.

Question 5

OTHER FUNDING OPTIONS

Accepted Answer

For informational purposes only. The NJSBDC is  affiliated with any company below:  announced a $5 million Neighborhood Small Business Relief Fund to provide cash grants to local Seattle small businesses. From March 26 to April 30, Amazon Lending is also pausing repayment from sellers who have outstanding loans, and seller loans will not accrue interest during this time period.  has brought together national arts grantmakers to help. Qualified artists may receive $5,000 grants to help with dire financial emergencies.  has pledged $3 million in relief to bars and restaurants affected by the COVID-19 shutdowns as part of its #RaiseYourSpirits campaign.  is offering $1,000 Relief Grants. Grants are funded by the Horst Rechelbacher Foundation and CDN Creative Nail Design and are available to working professionals and students of beauty programs.  to Assist in Securing Stimulus Funds Checkout this easy-to-use, consumer facing platform for small business owners and a white-label version for SBDC advisors to use with small business clients.  announced a $100 million grant for small businesses impacted by COVID-19 and launched the Business Resource Hub, which features recommendations to help small businesses stay connected to customers and stay on track. , an online marketplace startup, launched a financial calculator tool that helps small businesses understand the changes in their finances before and after COVID-19. , a payment technology provider, has partnered with Gift Up! to allow its clients to sell virtual gift cards. Gift Up! is waiving its usual 3.49% fee for Fattmerchant’s members’ first $5,000 in gift card sales.  created a relief fund that will offer financial assistance of up to $1,000 per freelance household.  Small Business Relief Fund provides micro-grants to small businesses affected by coronavirus. To qualify, small businesses must raise at least $500 in a GoFundMe fundraiser, and the company and its partners provide matching grants to provide additional support. Businesses must also be independently operated and use the funds to support employees. Partners include Yelp, Intuit QuickBooks, Bill.com, and GoDaddy.  pledge to donate $800 million for COVID-19 relief includes efforts to help small and medium-sized businesses gain access to capital.  is offering $340 million worth of ad credits to SMBs around the world. The company has also committed grants to support health organizations and non-profits. The funds available to SMBs are available to those who have had active Google Ads accounts over the past year. And the credits are automatically available, so you don’t need to apply. SMBs can use the funds for ad spend throughout 2020.  has made a commitment of $550 million in total relief funds. Much of that is set aside for emergency small business loans. The rest is available in grant funds to organizations, healthcare providers, and communities. , an investment crowdfunding platform, announced a small business relief loan program that’s providing $10,000 to $50,000 in working capital to qualifying businesses.  started a Food and Beverage Industry Relief Fund to provide microgrants to independent food and beverage small businesses in need.  pledged $50 million to help struggling customers, and $8 million in aid to small businesses, specifically.  launched an online hub to help boost sales for U.S small businesses impacted by COVID-19, including a system through which businesses can sell gift cards to consumers for use at a later date.  wants to support business owners who are unable to be physically present at their offices: The security startup is offering free (for three months) security cameras and monitoring kits.  is urging small businesses to apply for 0% interest loans for up to $15,000. The company is also offering a longer grace period: New borrowers can access a grace period of up to six months.  launched a cash runway scenario planning tool that helps small business owners gauge the impact COVID-19 could have on their companies. , a crowdfunding platform, announced its new Main Street Initiative: a $2,000, 0% interest, 120-day loan for restaurants or other brick-and-mortars affected by the shutdown, in addition to its normal fundraising offerings. A contest for a chance to win $10,000 to take your business to the next level. Submit entries between February 24th and May 30th for your chance to win! , which specializes in money lending to small businesses owned by women, immigrants, and people of color, is collaborating with investors and nonprofits to put together a coronavirus relief fund that will provide grants and low-interest-rate loans to business owners in need. and Ureeka have partnered to offer $10,000 grants to small businesses experiencing hardships. To qualify, businesses must have between 2 and 50 employees, have at least 2 years in business as of March 2020, and have between $250,000 and $2 million in annual revenue. Applications are open in phases based on location. Qualified businesses can apply online.  launched a hotline for restaurant owners to get advice from finance and law experts in the hospitality industry.  created a $1 million relief fund for minority-owned businesses impacted by COVID-19. donated $5 million to support women-owned businesses affected by COVID-19 and has teamed up with GlobalGiving to establish The Red Backpack Fund, which will provide 1,000 grants of $5,000 to female entrepreneurs throughout the U.S.  for female-founded businesses, Stacy’s is offering a grant, mentorship, and advertising program to provide support during this time. Fifteen female founders will receive $10,000 grants. And applicants may also receive free ad space and expertise from PepsiCo and Frito-Lay business leaders.  This grant and mentorship program includes $100,000 in non-dilutive grant funds and mentorship opportunities with accomplished entrepreneurs like Mark Cuban and Rebecca Minkoff. Two qualified businesses will receive the funds and ten more will receive coaching.  has made emergency relief funds available to independent restaurants and food service businesses. The applications are currently suspended due to overwhelming demand. But they may re-open the program going forward.  announced the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund that will provide grants on a first-come-first-served basis to restaurant owners and employees in need.  formed a COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund for small businesses and their restaurant workers and is accepting donations.  is a program that accepts donations and distributes them to gig workers and low earning contract employees who do not qualify for unemployment benefits but have lost work due to coronavirus. The Workers Lab is working with Canary to get funds out to verified freelancers and gig workers.  An investment of $2.5 million from Verizon is making it possible for LISC to begin offering critical relief and resiliency-building support to small businesses facing immediate financial threat because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding will go to make grants of up to $10,000, especially to entrepreneurs of color, women-owned businesses, and other enterprises in historically under-served places who don’t have access to flexible, affordable capital. Verizon will highlight and bolster these efforts through their inaugural “Pay It Forward Live” online concert series. , an investment crowdfunding platform, launched a Coronavirus Crisis Loans program enabling small businesses to crowdfund loans of $20,000 to $1 million from supporters.  is offering $25 Million in relief specifically for restaurants and nightlife businesses facing coronavirus challenges. This relief includes free advertising and waived fees, like free page upgrades and three months of free access to Yelp Reservations and Waitlist features. Independent local advertisers in other industries can also apply for relief.

Question 6

NJ EMPLOYEE RESOURCES

Accepted Answer

Guidance for Self-Employed Individuals FILING A PANDEMIC UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE CLAIM NJDOL and the Coronavirus (COVID-19): What Employers & Businesses Should Know Self-Employed NJ Workers: Unemployment Benefits During the Coronavirus Emergency NJ Employees FAQ NJ Main Page for Unemployment COVID-19 Jobs & Hiring Portal COVID-19 Employee Benefit Scenarios Employee Earned Sick Time/Leave

Question 7

HEALTH & SAFETY

Accepted Answer

World Health Organization CDC How to Protect Yourself NJ Response to COVID-19

Question 8

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Accepted Answer

For informational purposes only. The NJSBDC is  affiliated with any company below:  Lead your business through the coronavirus crisis : Respond, manage and prepare for the impact of coronavirus. : COVID-19: What US business leaders should know. : COVID-19 – What to do now, what to do next. CO— is working to bring you the best resources and information to help you navigate this challenging time. : Responding to COVID-19 : Dealing with volatility: what you need to know. : COVID-19 Small Business Resource Center : COVID-19 and the Workforce /  Intersections of Coronavirus, Employment and Disability Inclusion.  Supporting their Business Community with resources for small and women-owned business  Funding, Grants And Resources For Business Owners Grappling With Coronavirus  PwC’s team of specialists collaborated to create a digital assessment to help you understand the potential impact of COVID-19 to your business and gauge your readiness to respond.  To learn about navigating the unprecedented events caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, join EY professionals and other subject matter resources on a series of webcasts, covering supply chain, global trade, employee health, public policy, risk, information security and much more. All webcasts are offered live and on-demand.  Stories of Resilience is an ongoing virtual event series where small business leaders share true stories of how they’ve navigated challenging times.  Project N95 is the national clearinghouse for personal protective equipment for medical workers – like gowns, gloves and masks. Hospitals report what supplies they need and suppliers report what supplies they have. If you are a WBE supplier with medical supplies and equipment, submit here to  help connect with hospitals in need.  For small and mid-sized businesses with an immediate need of fulfillment alternatives, UPS has flexible solutions that provide fast signup, easy on-boarding, and reliable delivery to meet customer needs. For smaller ecommerce businesses, UPS eFulfillment offers an outsourced fulfillment solution that connects to over 20 marketplaces and shopping carts, allowing you to seamlessly route your orders to strategically located UPS warehouses for fast, reliable fulfillment and shipping. For larger businesses (200-2000 daily orders), Ware2Go, a UPS Company, is a flexible, on-demand choice. is offering 30 days for free self-storage to students who need to move due to the coronavirus emergency.  are both waiving home delivery fees for prescriptions during the crisis.  offering the waivers include American Airlines, United, Delta and others.  announced that they would be temporarily waiving internet data overage fees for those without unlimited plans Hotel chain  announced they would be waiving cancellation and change fees in areas hit hard by the virus, while extending the policy to also cover reservations that were not previously cancellable. Other chains including  have introduced similar policies.  have changed their policies to allow for paid time off for workers who are directly impacted by the virus : The cable giant is offering free access to its Xfinity WiFi hot spots for everyone, including non-subscribers, for the 60 days. It’s also providing unlimited data to its customers for no extra charge and is not disconnecting internet service or charging late fees for customers who say they can’t pay their bills. The company is also providing 60 days of free basic internet service to new customers. : PG&E has halted service disconnections for non-payment for both residential and commercial customers until further notice. The utility will also offer flexible payment plans “to customers who indicate either an impact or hardship as a result of COVID-19.” : The utility is suspending disconnections for nonpayment and waiving late fees “for residential and business customers impacted by the COVID-19 emergency.” : The utility has suspended service shutoffs for customers having payment troubles. : The cable, phone and media giant is suspending the termination of wireless, home phone or broadband service when customers can’t pay their bills because of coronavirus disruptions. The company is also waiving related late fees. Like Comcast, AT&T is also providing free access to its public WiFi hot spots. The company also said its consumer home internet wireline customers and fixed wireless internet customers would receive unlimited data. : Verizon said it is waiving late fees and suspending service termination for customers “negatively impacted by the global crisis.” : The mobile phone service provider is providing unlimited data to all current customers who have plans with data for the next 60 days. It will also provide additional data to mobile hotspot users. : The automaker is reviving its Hyundai Assurance Job Loss Protection Program to give owners “peace of mind in uncertain times” as the coronavirus outbreak leads to concerns that Americans will stop buying new cars and trucks. Hyundai said the program will provide up to six months of car payments to new buyers if they lose their jobs involuntarily. It will also provide 90 days of payment deferral on new purchases. : Ford is offering customers “potential delay of payments to provide relief.” It’s also providing new-car buyers the chance to delay their first payment by 90 days. : The utility is suspending disconnections for non-payment. “Customers should pay what they can to avoid building up a large balance that will be harder to pay off later,” the company said. : The utility is suspending disconnections “for our customers directly impacted by this crisis” and is waiving late fees and deposits “for customers who experience financial hardships related to COVID-19, or are unable to pay due to self-isolation.” : The utility is suspending shutoffs to residential customers for non-payment through the end of April, “at which time PSE&G will evaluate the continued need,” according to an email sent to customers. : The telecommunications company is providing free Spectrum broadband and Wi-Fi internet for the next 60 days to households with K-12 students or college students who don’t already have a subscription. Like : The utility has suspended disconnections for nonpayment. : The company is suspending service disconnections and other “collections-related activities” through the end of April, after which the policy will be reevaluated. : The company will not terminate service for residential or small business customers due to nonpayment if they’ve faced “disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.” It is also waiving late fees that customers “might normally incur because of their economic circumstances related to the coronavirus pandemic.” : The rental car company is reducing the minimum age for renting a car to 18 through May 31 “to make it easier for students to get home to their families” due to the suspension of college courses. : NIPSCO is suspending shutoffs for nonpayment until further notice. : The utility is suspending shutoffs and is deferring bill collection in recognition of financial hardships some customers may face due to the coronavirus outbreak.  waiving all delivery fees from local restaurants, offer contactless deliveries

COVID-19 RESOURCE HUB

In our efforts to support our small business community, we have curated over 120+ resources for small businesses & employees. Whether you need funding from the SBA or want to know what Facebook is doing for COVID, it’s here.