Nonprofit Emergency Relief Resources & Webinars
CARES Act Webinar Friday, April 3 at 9 a.m. (CT)
Free Webinar: Supporting Artists, Supporting Communities During COVID-19 Tuesday, April 7 @ 10:00 AM EST
With museum and school closures and event cancellations everywhere, COVID-19 has brought the international arts community to a standstill. In the midst of pandemic, though, there has been a groundswell of the arts in unexpected places. Places like apartment windows have become impromptu stages for concerts. Social media has become an arts engagement tool for people everywhere. The pandemic has uncovered creative, grassroots ways to channel the arts into homes and family life like never before.
Thrive Regional Partnership and partners are launching a webinar to highlight ways to engage local artists and arts programming to encourage community vibrancy in the midst of COVID-19.
Specific topics will include:
- Virtual arts experiences to support distant learning and household entertainment
- Digital tools to connect the arts to your community
- Creative solutions to canceled arts and culture programming
- How artists will be champions of restoration and reconnection after COVID-19
On Tuesday, April 7 at 10:00 AM EST, please join the Thrive Regional Partnership webinar featuring leaders in the arts community across the tri-state region. Register in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Nonprofit Emergency Relief Resources
Following Congress’s enactment of a $2.2 trillion package, here are two of the most urgent types of emergency relief that nonprofits and those they serve can gain access to.
Low-interest loans and forgiveness of repayment for nonprofits that don’t lay off workers. The Small Business Administration is already financing low-interest federal disaster loans, which many nonprofits are already eligible to obtain at 2.75 percent interest for up to 30 years. The stimulus measure signed into law last week greatly enhances the loans available to nonprofits by providing nearly $400 billion in payments and guarantees. The new law, which directs the Small Business Administration to implement this new provision within weeks, permits a nonprofit to borrow up to 2.5 times its monthly payroll. The loan has a 100 percent federal guarantee. To gain access to these resources, nonprofits of 500 employees or fewer primarily need to prove they existed and had employees as of February 2020. The federal government would pay the lender to defer all payments on the loan for up to six months.
Especially important for nonprofits, any organization that sustains full-time employment levels over the course of the coronavirus crisis could receive up to eight weeks of salary, wages, rent, and other operating expenses fully forgiven, converting a substantial share of the loan into a grant. Wages paid to an employee in excess of $100,000 per year would not be eligible for this funding. Competition may be intense for the loans, so nonprofits should move quickly.
Source: https://www.philanthropy.com/article/What-Nonprofits-Should-Know/248386
The Paycheck Protection Program
The Paycheck Protection Program is a loan designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll. SBA will forgive loans if all employees are kept on the payroll for eight weeks and the money is used for payroll, rent, mortgage interest, or utilities. The Paycheck Protection Program will be available through June 30, 2020.
To complete an application, go to https://covid19relief.sba.gov/#/
Who Can Apply
This program is for any small business with less than 500 employees (including sole proprietorships, independent contractors and self-employed persons), private non-profit organizations or 501(c)(19) veterans organizations affected by coronavirus/COVID-19. Businesses in certain industries may have more than 500 employees if they meet the SBA’s size standards for those industries. Small businesses in the hospitality and food industry with more than one location could also be eligible at the store and location level if the store employs less than 500 workers. This means each store location could be eligible.
How to Apply
You can apply through any existing SBA 7(a) lender or through any federally insured depository institution, federally insured credit union, and Farm Credit System institution that is participating. Other regulated lenders will be available to make these loans once they are approved and enrolled in the program. You should consult with your local lender as to whether it is participating in the program. Lenders may begin processing loan applications as soon as April 3, 2020.
Loan Details and Forgiveness
The loan will be fully forgiven if the funds are used for payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities (due to likely high subscription, at least 75% of the forgiven amount must have been used for payroll). Loan payments will also be deferred for six months. No collateral or personal guarantees are required. Neither the government nor lenders will charge small businesses any fees.
Forgiveness is based on the employer maintaining or quickly rehiring employees and maintaining salary levels. Forgiveness will be reduced if full-time headcount declines, or if salaries and wages decrease. This loan has a maturity of 2 years and an interest rate of .5%. If you wish to begin preparing your application, you can download a sample form to see the information that will be requested from you.
Economic Injury Disaster Loans and Loan Advance
To apply for a COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan, click here. In response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, small business owners in all U.S. states, Washington D.C., and territories are eligible to apply for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan advance of up to $10,000.
The SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program provides small businesses with working capital loans of up to $2 million that can provide vital economic support to small businesses to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue they are experiencing. The loan advance will provide economic relief to businesses that are currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue. Funds will be made available within three days of a successful application, and this loan advance will not have to be repaid. For SBA assistance, visit: https://www.sba.gov/page/coronavirus-covid-19-small-business-guidance-loan-resources
Source: https://www.sba.gov
Lastly, don’t forget to complete the AFTA survey: https://surveys.americansforthearts.org/s3/CoronavirusImpactSurvey
