The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) today announced it will open pre-registration for Phase 2 of its Small Business Emergency Assistance Loan Program at 9:00 a.m. EST on Wednesday, February 10, 2021. The $10 million program expansion will support New Jersey small businesses and nonprofits impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eligibility – To be eligible for financing through Phase 2 of the Small Business Emergency Assistance Loan Program, small businesses and non-profit organizations must be in existence and in operation from at least February 24, 2020, have $5 million or less in annual revenue, and have a physical commercial location in New Jersey. They also must be able to describe how they were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. Home-based businesses and real estate holding companies are among the entities that are not eligible for financing under this program.

Distribution of funds – Program applications will be reviewed on a first-come, first served basis, with priority given to applicants that have received no greater than $10,000 in government assistance from any federal, state or local (county/municipal) assistance program.

Most eligible businesses will be able to apply for up to $100,000, but if a business was approved for a loan under Phase 1 of the Small Business Emergency Assistance Loan Program, it will be eligible under Phase 2 only for an amount that will not exceed $100,000 in the aggregate of the two phases. To promote equity, $3.5 million of the funding will be reserved for businesses in Opportunity Zone-eligible census tracts.

Register – https://business.nj.gov/covid/small-business-emergency-assistance-loan-program-phase-2

Link Press release – https://www.njeda.com/smallbizemergencyassistanceloanphase2release