On Thursday, August 6, 2020, Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce President Steve Rosansky announced via the Chamber’s newsletter and YouTube page two new grant programs available for small business.
“The first one is being offered by the City of Newport Beach using funds received under the community development block grant program,” said Rosansky. “An eligible applicant can receive up to $10, 000 in grant funds that can be used for expenses like rent payment, payroll or utility expenses, among other things.”
To quality, Rosansky said businesses must have 30 or fewer full time employees.
“There are also a number of other eligibility requirements to be satisfied,” said Rosansky. “This program is particularly geared towards business owners who make 80 percent or less of the Orange County median income, adjusted for household size, or to businesses that employ a majority of low or moderate income workers.”
There will be two informational webinars to describe how to apply. Applications can be submitted online starting Friday, August 14 at 9 a.m.
“The second grant program is the Safe Dine OC COVID Restaurant campaign, offered to all Orange County restaurant owners,” said Rosansky. “The grants are $1,000 each, and can be used to pay for personal protection equipment, face masks, employee training, cleaning products, and other measures that create a COVID safe environment for employees and customers.”
Rosansky ended by stating more details were on the Chamber website at www.NewportBeach.com, and ”remember to wear a mask, and be safe.”
Details on the Small Business Grants
According to information on the City’s website, qualified small business owners can apply for a second round of COVID-19 relief grants. Applications will be accepted between August 14 at 9 a.m. and August 28 at 5 p.m.
Earlier this summer, the City awarded $2.1 million in small business grants with federal money from the CARES Act received by the County of Orange and distributed to Newport Beach for small business grants.
The latest round of funding, about $470,000, is from the City’s allocation of federal Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) as well as CARES Act funds received through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
As before, the Orange County Small Business Development Center will administer the grants.
Applicants are encouraged to participate in one of two informational webinars on the grant program being offered on Tuesday, August 11, 2020, at 11 a.m., and Thursday, August 13, 2020, at 4 p.m.
To be eligible to apply for the grants, a business will need to demonstrate the need for financial support that is directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic (for example, being forced to shut down and/or had to lay off employees). Under CDBG requirements, the business must also meet certain low-income criteria for the owner or employees.
Eligibility criteria include, but are not limited to:
- The business must be a for-profit business, independently owned and operated, with the principal office located within Newport Beach city limits.
- The business must be legal and located in a commercial or industrial space.
- The officers of the business must reside in Orange County, California.
- The business must have an active Newport Beach business license for at least 6 months.
- The business can have no more than 30 full-time employees, or an equivalent combination of full- and part-time employees, including the owner.
In addition, the business applicant must meet the following CDBG eligibility requirements:
- The business owner’s current household income is at or below 80% of the Orange County median income, adjusted for household size; or
- The business intends to retain at least one full-time equivalent, permanent low- and moderate-income job, of which 51 percent of its employees are low- and moderate-income, full-time or equivalent employees.
Grant applications will be available on August 14, 2020 at 9 a.m. For more information: www.newportbeachca.gov/cdbgedgrant
Details on the Restaurant Grants
As part of the SafeDineOC Restaurant Program, the Orange County Board of Supervisors has allocated $10 million in Federal CARES Act funding to support local restaurants that are safely reopening.
Restaurants are eligible for up to $1,000 in reimbursements for CARES Act-qualified purchases, such as masks, gloves, and other personal protective equipment (PPE), site reconfiguration, employee training, cleaning supplies, etc.
The application period for the grant program began August 6, 2020 and ends in 60 days, or whenever funding is fully allocated, whichever occurs first.
If there are multiple, separate site restaurants under one owner, each restaurant location is entitled to a $1,000 grant. Restaurants must submit a separate application for each location.
Receipts for CARES Act-qualified purchases are required for final reimbursement grant payment. Receipts for purchases made March 1, 2020 to September 30, 2020 are acceptable.
Approved restaurants participating in the SafeDineOC program must post their attestation in plain sight for their customers and will also have their name featured on this website.
For more information, visit https://www.ocbc.org/safedineoc/.
