APPLICATION PORTAL FOR BERGEN COUNTY CARES SMALL BUSINESS GRANT PROGRAM TO OPEN MONDAY, JULY 13

Bergen County small businesses can apply online at BergenCountyCARES.org

HACKENSACK, N.J. – Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco announces that the application portal for the Bergen County CARES Small Business Grant Program will open on Monday, July 13 at 9 a.m. and run through Friday, July 24. 

The program which will provide financial relief to businesses deemed “non-essential” and forced to close as a measure to stop the spread of COVID-19 per Governor Murphy’s Executive Order 104 and Executive Order 107, will be eligible to receive up to $10,000 in financial relief to cover rent, property mortgage, and utilities expenses. Businesses can visit www.BergenCountyCARES.org to prescreen their eligibility status for the program.

To qualify for the Bergen County CARES Small Business Grant Program businesses must fall under the following criteria:

• Businesses must have a physical location in Bergen County, NJ. Home-based businesses are eligible.
• Businesses must have been deemed “non-essential” within the classification of “Businesses Required to Close” as per the Governor’s Executive Order No. 104, dated March 16, 2020, and further clarified by Executive Order 107 dated March 21, 2020.
• Businesses must only have between 1 – 19 full-time employees
• Sole-proprietorships; LLCs; LLPs; Corporations; and S-Corporations are eligible.
• Businesses owned by county employees and elected officials, as well as their immediate families, are not eligible
• Businesses must have been open and operating on March 1, 2020

Priority will first be given to businesses who have not received any Federal grant assistance, New Jersey Economic Development Authority grants or US Small Business Administration grant or other grant assistance.

In order to be eligible for the program, businesses must provide complete responses to the grant program application found at www.BergenCountyCARES.org. In order for an application to be deemed complete, applicants will need to upload the following items in digital format:

• Business bank statements March – June
• (If Renting) Canceled rent checks or signed statement from landlord for January & February
• (If Building Owner) Mortgage Statements for January & February
• Business registration certification or certificate of incorporation
• Most recent federal and state tax returns
• Water, Sewer, Gas and Electric utility bills from March-May of 2020
• An Affidavit stating company has not received any Federal, State or other funding or Federal/State documents showing date and monetary amount of all received assistance

“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a serious financial impact on communities across the country, and one of the hardest hit sectors have been the small, mom and pop shops. These local businesses are the backbone of Main Street, Bergen County and it is important to support the businesses we all know and love as we continue to reopen,” said Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco.

“We understand our small Main Street businesses deemed ‘non-essential’ during the shutdown have struggled to survive. Your continued survival and thriving is essential to us in Bergen County, and we encourage you to apply for this assistance with your rent, business mortgage and utility costs,” said Bergen County Freeholder Chairwoman Mary Amoroso.

The Bergen County CARES Small Business Grant Programs is funded through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act Federal relief fund. For more information, please visit www.BergenCountyCARES.org. Administrative questions regarding the grant program can also be sent to BergenCountyCares@co.bergen.nj.us.

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