New Program Helps Gloucester County Business Hit Hard By Pandemic

GLOUCESTER COUNTY, NJ — A new program is helping small businesses in Gloucester County who have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Gloucester County Board of Commissioners has launched the COVID-19 Microenterprise Business Assistance Program, officials announced on Thursday.

“This program has been launched in an effort to retain jobs and stabilize local businesses,” Gloucester County Commissioner Robert M. Damminger said. “We are so grateful for our local businesses and realize the hardships they have been through during the last year. This program was designed to assist our businesses and keep them standing strong in Gloucester County.”

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Funding is available to for-profit businesses in Gloucester County established before Dec. 31, 2019, that have no more than five employees, including the owner.

Business cannot be delinquent of any taxes and must provide business financial documentation including information on loss of revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic. Businesses need to provide Dun & Bradstreet number (DUNS) and be registered in the federal System for Award Management (SAM). To see all the qualifications and requirements, visit www.gloucestercountynj.gov.

This program is funded by the CARES Act and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development through the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG-CV).

Businesses can apply through the online portal Neighborly accessible on the County website https://www.gloucestercountynj.gov from April 1-16. Submissions that have provided all required documentation within the application period will be randomized for a lottery pool. Awards will be made to approved eligible applicants until funds are exhausted.

Documents needed while completing the application include:

• State issued photo ID;
• Most Recent State and Federal Tax Return;
• Most current business bank account statement;
• NJ-WR30 - Not Required for Sole Proprietorships;
• Trade Name Registration (available through the County Clerk)
• Current Lease or Property Loan Document;
• W-9;
• Paystubs for one or more low/moderate income employees;
• Evidence of Unpaid Business Expenses; and
• Photo of storefront

Federal regulations require that CDBG-CV funds be used for eligible activities that meet both CDBG and CARES Act objectives of preventing, preparing, and/or responding to the coronavirus pandemic. This includes those related to payroll and taxes, rent, utilities, insurance, and other related operating costs for property up to 180-day period provided there is no duplication of benefit with other funding.

All grant applications must meet the CDBG National Objective of Low/Mod Income for the benefitting business. The business must document that it will retain at least one permanent job held by a low- and moderate-income person and that the jobs would be lost without the CDBG assistance.

Gloucester County will only fund Direct Costs. Direct Costs are those that have a direct and specific link to the eligible activity that can be readily identified. Applicants must be able to prove that CDBGCV grant funds were used for the approved use.

“The Gloucester County Board of Commissioners is grateful for the opportunity to help bring this funding to our small, minority owned business community during these unprecedented times. These funds will help ensure Gloucester County businesses recover from this pandemic and become stronger than they’ve ever been before,” Gloucester County Commissioner Heather Simmons said.

For more information on the program, email gcmicrogrant@co.gloucester.nj.us.