SOURCE: Business.nj.gov
New Jersey State Emergency COVID-19 Relief Programs
See each program page for details on programs administered by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA), the New Jersey Redevelopment Authority (NJRA), the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (NJDCA), the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA), and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). To see which of these programs you are eligible for, use the NJ COVID-19 Business Support Eligibility Wizard.
Please click on each program below for more information.
Programs Coming Soon:
NJ Economic Recovery Act 2020 - A package of tax incentive, financing, and grant programs that will address the ongoing economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and build a stronger, fairer New Jersey economy. The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) is asking businesses for feedback to inform the design of these programs. Share your feedback, and improve the structure of these state-led business programs at https://www.njeda.com/economicrecoveryact.
The NJEDA is hosting three public listening sessions to receive public comment on the draft rules for the new Emerge tax credit program, which is part of the suite of programs created under the Economic Recovery Act. The Listening Sessions are scheduled for:
Thursday, April 8th, 2021 at 5:00 p.m.
Monday, April 12th, 2021 at 3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 14th, 2021 at 3:00 p.m.
Sessions are expected to last approximately two hours and can be accessed at https://tinyurl.com/xyr2k65r. The passcode for the sessions is “Emerge”. Legislation Providing $25 Million in Small Business Aid - Governor Murphy signed into law S-3523, which provides $25 million in federal COVID-19 relief aid for small businesses throughout New Jersey. The bill focuses on providing a lifeline to micro-businesses with five or fewer employees. The bill is part of a five-bill, $100 million relief effort aimed at helping New Jersey’s economy recover from the year-long pandemic. The relief aid will be administered by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. Applications are not yet available.
The NJEDA’s Micro Lender Support Grant Program is a pilot program that will make $2 million available to provide grants of up to $200,000 to CDFIs, Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs), and other eligible lenders as identified in the Economic Recovery Act.
This program DOES NOT provide grants directly to small businesses. Grant funds received through the program can be used to fund operating expenses associated with servicing micro-businesses and the buying down of interest rates of loans offered to micro-businesses. CDFIs and MDIs based outside New Jersey that service New Jersey businesses will be eligible to receive funds, which will reduce the financial burden on New Jersey-based CDFIs and create new financing opportunities for New Jersey businesses.
The NJEDA anticipates launching the application for the Micro Lender Support Grant Program on April 19, 2021. Organizations interested in learning more about the program are encouraged to contact smallbusinessservices@njeda.com.
Programs Currently Open:
COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program Phase II - The COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program Phase II will provide approximately $353 million in rental assistance to low- and moderate-income households that have had a substantial reduction in income or incurred significant costs as a result of the pandemic, including those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Households may be eligible for up to 12 months of rental assistance to help pay for rent arrears incurred after March 13, 2020, and future rent to the extent that funds are available.
The application period will remain open until the $353 million has been awarded. Landlords may apply on behalf of tenants, with the tenant’s permission. Participants will be selected on a rolling basis from the overall pool of applicants through a randomized process based on eligibility and lottery criteria.
The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs is providing the centralized application intake, eligibility review, and payment of assistance, which will be made directly to participants’ landlords. DCA has authorized Nan McKay & Associates to help administer the program and to communicate with applicants and landlords.
Additional information about the program, available in multiple languages, can be found online at on the DCA website. To apply visit: https://njdca.onlinepha.com.
NJDEP Marine Fisheries Assistance Grant Program - NJDEP will award a total of $11 million in CARES Act funding to coastal and marine-fisheries-related businesses that have lost revenue due to the impacts of COVID-19. Eligible businesses include commercial fisheries, aquaculture businesses, processors, dealers, recreational for-hire fishing businesses, and bait and tackle shops, as well as businesses operating in more than one of these categories.
Eligible businesses must have fewer than 100 full-time employees and be able to demonstrate a greater than 35% loss in fishery-related revenue between March 1 and June 30, 2020, compared to their 5-year average revenue for the same period. The application deadline is December 4, 2020.
NJEDA Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Emergency Loan Loss Reserve Fund – A capital reserve fund to take a first loss position on CDFI loans that provide low-interest working capital to micro-businesses. This allows CDFIs to withstand loan defaults due to COVID-19, which allows them to provide more loans at lower interest rates to microbusinesses affected by the pandemic. Only New Jersey-based CDFIs are eligible for this programs.
Programs That Have Closed:
NJEDA CDFI Emergency Assistance Grant Program – A $1.25 million program that provided grants of up to $250,000 to CDFIs to scale operations or reduce interest rates in response to the pandemic. Only NJ-based CDFIs were eligible for this programs.
NJRA Small Business Lease Emergency Assistance Grant Program – A $5 million New Jersey Redevelopment Authority program that offered commercial rent relief with grants of up to $10,000 for COVID-impacted small businesses and nonprofits located in NJRA’s designated communities. To check on the status of your application, contact the NJRA.
NJEDA Small Business Emergency Assistance Grant (Phase 3) – The NJEDA’s Small Business Emergency Assistance Grant Program provided grants to businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The application window for Phase 3 of the program is now closed. Applicants seeking an update on the status of their grant application can check online at https://programs.njeda.com/en-US/ or call 844-965-1125.
NJHMFA Small Landlord Emergency Grant Program – NJHMFA reopened a program that assists small rental property owners and their tenants during the COVID-19 emergency, funded through the CARES Act. The program was launched in August and reopened for a second phase with expanded eligibility guidelines. The grant supports vulnerable landlords of properties by reimbursing them for missed/reduced rent payments between April and July 2020. Landlord grantees will be required to forgive the back rent and late fees that their tenants have accrued during the April to July period. Applicants must be the Primary Property Owner of a residential property and registered with the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (NJDCA) Bureau of Housing Inspection within the Registration Inspection Management System (RIMS) database. Eligible properties must have between 3 and 30 units; may not be a seasonal or vacation rental property; have at least one non-vacant rental unit that was impacted by COVID-19 between April and July 2020; and have low-to-moderate rent levels. The Application for the second phase opened on September 28th at 12pm and closed on October 13th at 4pm. Eligible and complete applications will be reviewed and awarded in a computer-randomized order to give each application an equal chance of receiving funds.
NJEDA Small Business Emergency Assistance Loan Program – A $10 million program that provided working capital loans of up to $100,000 to businesses with less than $5 million in revenues. Loans made through the program have ten-year terms with zero percent interest for the first five years, then resetting to the NJEDA’s prevailing floor rate (capped at 3.00%) for the remaining five years. Applications for this program are currently closed. Applicants can check the status of their Small Business Emergency Assistance Loan applications online.
NJDCA Main Street New Jersey COVID-19 Relief Program – A $1.6 million program that will provide grants to District Management Organizations that participate in Main Street New Jersey (MSNJ), to fund eligible COVID-19 recovery activities and costs occurring with the boundaries of the designated MSNJ district.
NJDCA Neighborhood Preservation COVID-19 Relief Program – A $2.6 million program that will provide grant funding to municipalities with current approved Neighborhood Preservation Program plans, to fund eligible COVID-19 response activities, including limited funding for local program administrative costs.
NJDCA Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit COVID-19 Relief Program – A $3.1 million program that will provide grant funding to organizations with approved Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit plans as of the FY20 application cycle, to fund eligible COVID-19 response activities. At least 60 percent of funds must be distributed by grantees to small businesses with a physical location in their neighborhood boundaries for eligible business uses.
Traditional NJEDA Programs
In addition to the programs listed on this page, the NJEDA encourages businesses to explore the Authority’s business support programs that are not specific to addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. More details about these programs can be found on the NJEDA’s website at www.njeda.com
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