Jersey City Releases 2nd Round Of COVID Relief For Small Business

JERSEY CITY, NJ — A second round of COVID-19 relief is coming for small businesses in Jersey City.

City officials announced the upcoming funding on Monday, with $1.5 million in COVID-19 Small Business Microenterprise Grants focusing on brick and mortar and mobile businesses with five employees or less.

The city-funded program will provide upwards of $50,000 for business-related costs incurred throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to assist microenterprise businesses that provide goods and/or services within Jersey City. Business owners' household income cannot exceed 80 percent of the city’s area median income (AMI) limit.

The JCEDC will host a free webinar today, at 7 p.m. to help low-income business owners understand the grant application process, federal qualifications, and necessary documentation. To register for the webinar please visit jcedc.org. Applications will open one week later on November 8th.

“Our smallest businesses that provide a wide range of goods and services to our community are among the most financially burdened by this pandemic. These are business owners who live in Jersey City and are invested in the community,” said Mayor Steven Fulop. “Since day one of this pandemic, we’ve worked to provide the support and resources our small businesses need to grow and thrive, and this second round of small business grants worth upwards of $50,000 each looks to build upon those efforts.”

These latest grants can be used for costs incurred between October 1, 2020 – August 31, 2021, for microenterprise businesses providing goods and services, such as:

• Grocery stores
• Childcare facilities
• Food delivery
• Food trucks
• Beauty salons
• Drug stores
• Medical supplies
• Laundromats
• Home health support

As long as a business did not receive funding for the same expenses during the same time period, eligible expenses include payroll assistance, training, peer support, supplies, PPEs for employees, childcare, transportation assistance, etc.

“The JCEDC is proud to work closely with Mayor Fulop and the Administration as we have one collective goal: to help as many of Jersey City’s small business owners as possible,” said Rosemary McFadden, JCEDC Chair. “Our mission is to promote and facilitate economic development here in Jersey City, and these grants come at a critical time as many microenterprise businesses work to keep their doors open and recover from COVID-induced hardships.”

One year ago, Mayor Fulop and Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise awarded over $9 million in CARES Act grants to nearly 600 small businesses with 25 or fewer employees. Of the nearly 600 grant recipients, approximately 300 of those small businesses are located in Jersey City’s west side and Heights sections, with an additional 200 within the downtown business district and nearly 80 business owners from the City’s Greenville section.

Applications for the COVID-19 Small Business Microenterprise Grants will be accepted from 11:00 a.m. on November 8, 2021, through 5 p.m. on November 19, 2021. Applications will be available online at www.jcedc.org or call the JCEDC at 201-284-9478. All information regarding the grant program can be found on the JCEDC’s website: www.jcedc.org.