Below is the information received from the Governor’s Office concerning state Small Business Administration (SBA) Loans for small businesses. Churches can be considered nonprofits for purposes of these funds. However, in order to qualify, the church (1) must be incorporated and (2) must have an IRC 501(c) (3) designation. Churches will not be able to use fiscal sponsors for this funding. CARE Act loans –which have not made it to the states yet—will be forgivable. Accordingly, you may wish to wait for those before applying for relief funding.

*Qualified churches may apply for the following

Economic Injury Disaster Loan.

Churches that have been financially impacted as a direct result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) since Jan. 31, 2020, may qualify for Economic Injury Disaster Loans of up to $2 million to help meet financial obligations and operating expenses which could have been met had the disaster not occurred. Eligibility for Economic Injury Disaster Loans is based on the financial impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). The interest rate for private non-profit organizations is 2.75% SBA offers loans with 30 years max and are available to entities without the financial ability to offset the adverse impact without hardship.

a. Applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information and download applications at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. Individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing may call (800) 877-8339. Completed applications should be mailed to U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155. Any interested business needs to apply directly to the SBA.

b. Businesses who did not fill out the initial MEMA survey can and should apply directly to the SBA.

c. Businesses who did fill out the initial MEMA survey must apply directly to the SBA.

The deadline to apply for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan is Dec. 18, 2020.

These are business loans and must be paid back.

Paycheck Protection Program.

Small businesses with fewer than 500 employees are eligible to apply to the Paycheck Protection Program. These include churches. Borrowers must certify that their business has been affected by the coronavirus slowdown. And businesses must have been in operation as of Feb. 15 to be eligible to apply. Lenders will not require collateral or a personal guarantee. Churches will be able to start applying for the Paycheck Protection Program loans on Friday, April 3, 2020.

https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/2020- 03/Borrower%20Paycheck%20Protection%20Program%20Application.pdf

Other Resources

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