Dear Members,
Today at 9:00 a.m., the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) opened pre-registration for Phase 2 of the Small Business Emergency Assistance Loan Program as part of Governor Phil Murphy’s ongoing COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts. This loan program provides financing of up to $100,000 at 0% interest to eligible New Jersey small businesses and nonprofits. All entities must pre-register before 5:00 p.m. on Friday, July 30, 2021 to be eligible to apply for the loan. Pre-registration is not first come, first served.
The NJEDA created the Small Business Emergency Assistance Loan Program in March of 2020 to make financing available to small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, the NJEDA has approved 145 loans for a combined total of more than $10 million.
Funded by a United States Economic Development Administration (USEDA) Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act appropriation, Phase 2 of the Small Business Emergency Assistance Loan Program makes additional financing available to New Jersey businesses and nonprofits, with a particular focus on entities that have taken on new space in 2021.
Businesses with $10 million or less in annual revenue that have executed a new lease, leased additional space, or acquired an owner-occupied commercial space of at least 500 square feet on or after January 1, 2021, will be prioritized as “Stage 1” applicants and have exclusive, early access to the application. Entities that meet all other eligibility criteria but do not meet the new lease, additional leased space, or acquired owner-occupied commercial space criteria will be eligible to apply as “Stage 2” applicants.
Pre-registration for Phase 2 of the Small Business Emergency Assistance Loan Program will open today, Tuesday, July 20, 2021, and close 5:00 p.m. on Friday, July 30, 2021. All businesses and nonprofits must pre-register during this window to be eligible to apply for loans. Pre-registration is not first-come, first-served.
Following the pre-registration period, applications will open for “Stage 1” applicants at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 3, 2021. Applications will remain open for Stage 1 applicants only for 10 days. If the NJEDA does not receive sufficient applications from Stage 1 applicants during this time period to exhaust the available funding, the Authority will open applications to all other qualified “Stage 2” entities at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, August 13, 2021.
The Small Business Emergency Assistance Loan Program is part of New Jersey’s suite of COVID-19 relief programs. Comprehensive information about New Jersey’s coronavirus response is available at https://business.nj.gov/covid.
