According to a State of New Jersey press release, the competitive Municipal Aid grant program attracted 625 applications from 547 different municipalities with a total of $363 million requested. Project applications were evaluated and rated on their merits by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) staff. It was also reviewed by an independent panel of New Jersey municipal engineers.

This process resulted in 546 awards to 541 municipalities, totaling $161.25 million. The 2016 Transportation Trust Fund renewal has made it possible to continue to award $161.25 million annually. This represents more than double the $78.75 million that was available before the TTF renewal.

More grants

In addition, the extra funds have allowed the Department to increase the number of municipalities receiving grants from about 370 a year prior to the TTF renewal to 541 municipalities this year.

You can read: President Joe Biden announced his projects for New Jersey

“These funds are crucial to municipalities for the completion of projects that improve quality of life and safety for New Jersey residents,” said Governor Murphy. “Under our Administration’s leadership, the Transportation Trust Fund continues to bolster infrastructure statewide. I congratulate all municipalities that have received grants and look forward to them putting these dollars to use.”

NJDOT Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti said the planned improvements are made without “burdening local property taxpayers.”

“The Murphy Administration is committed to improving local communities by providing millions of dollars in aid to municipalities to make important safety, infrastructure, and quality-of-life improvements without burdening local property taxpayers. We are pleased to award grants to nearly every municipality in New Jersey,” the Commissioner stated.

Seven categories

Applications for municipal assistance grants were submitted to NJDOT prior to July 1, 2021 and have been reviewed on a judgmental basis.There are seven project categories within the Municipal Aid grant program eligible for funding: Roadway Preservation, Roadway Safety, Quality of Life, Mobility, Bikeway, Pedestrian Safety, and Bridge Preservation.

You can read: Climate Change Resiliency Strategy launched in NJ

Under the municipal aid program, each county is assigned a share of the total funding based on population and the number of kilometers of local central lines. Municipalities compete for portions of their county’s share.

NJDOT provides 75 percent of the grant amount when a town awards a contract and the remaining 25 percent upon completion of the project. Of the $161.25 million, $10 million is allotted for municipalities qualifying for Urban Aid as defined under state law, with the amounts determined by the Department of Community Affairs.

The evaluation of proposals considered past performance in connection with timely award of projects and construction closeout factors.

In addition, during the evaluation of applications, NJDOT also verifies if the municipality has adopted a Complete Streets policy. A Complete Streets policy establishes guidelines that require consideration be given to pedestrians and bicyclists when local transportation projects are being planned, designed, and built.

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We spoke with Kersey Azócar about a micro-grant plan aimed at Latino small business owners. She is the City’s grant program manager of the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC). Her talent in the area of finance has been used to manage the COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program. PIDC’s Kersy Azócar knows where the “pesos” are.

The City of Philadelphia was allocated $17 million that will be transformed into assistance for small businesses. The funding is aimed at hospitality entrepreneurs who can demonstrate that they have lost at least 25% of their future revenues due to the economic contraction forced by the pandemic. Grants will range from $5,000 to $50,000, depending on every case. For Pennsylvania as a whole, the assistance is $150 million.

According to data provided by Kersy Azócar, there are between 1,500 and 2,000 businesses in Philly that are eligible to “apply” for assistance. As a condition, they must have NAICS 721 or 722 code designation. NAICS is the acronym for the North American Industry Classification System. Small business owners are required to fill out the application at www.pidcphila.com. In addition, the following documents must be submitted: 2019 taxes, financial statements, or profit and loss, for 2019 and 2020 and a signed Form W9. All these steps must be completed before April 12.

Small business assistance

Kersy Azócar is a financial professional with deep roots in the Latino community. She was born in Santo Domingo although her family is from La Vega. “Dad was given a job contract in New York as a promoter and he brought the whole family with him. In the “Big Apple” we lasted about three years. My family always had business and my parents always came, they always traveled. We were no strangers when coming here. But it was a cultural shock to leave Santo Domingo and come to live in New York in the late nineties.”

You can read: Joanna Otero Cruz: “We have a lot of work to do with our Latino families in Philadelphia”

Our interviewee is very familiar with the nature of Small Business Assistance. Her work in the area of finance has always had a social framework. A 13-year experience in the area of micro-lending distinguishes her. In Philadelphia, she started with Finanta, an NGO that merged with Community First Fund.

“I have always helped and served the community. You don’t know anything about this world until you interact with small businesses. Until you’re on the inside, you only know superficially what’s going on. You hear that they are the engine of the economy, but it’s really when you start working in this field that you see the challenges. And you see all the things that small businesses are experiencing.

“I have always helped and served the community. You don’t know anything about this world until you have interaction with small businesses. Until you’re on the inside, you only know superficially what’s going on. You hear that they are the economic engine, but it’s really when you start working in this field that you see the challenges. And you see all the things that small businesses are experiencing.”

Where the dollars are

“Working with small businesses is always a big challenge,” said Kersy Azócar. “It’s frustrating not to be able to give them everything they need. It is an extraordinary challenge. They require bookkeeping, help with insurance, taxes… You can’t be everything for small businesses. That has always been an obstacle to overcome.”

Regarding small business assistance, Kersy Azócar from PIDC is the one who knows how to get the money. “There are two parts. One is what information they need to fill out the application. The other is what documents they are going to submit. To ‘apply’ they need to know how many employees they had during COVID in 2020, the income generated, address, TAX ID number or EIN (Employer Identification Number). And something very important, if people have the ET, they are also eligible to apply. This is important because many times they are excluded. That’s what they would need to apply.

“In terms of filing documents, we are only asking for three. 2019 taxes, financial statements, what it tells you in profit and loss from 2019 and 2020 and a Form W9 that they’re going to sign. That’s it. All the rest of the information is mostly a personal certification. In short it’s a testimonial of tax solvency and that they are in compliance with all the city rules.”

More resources coming

On the horizon, the landscape does not look clear. The vaccine has not achieved a surrender declaration of the virus. In addition, various political and scientific circles believe that there is still a long way to go before victory can be claimed.

You can read: Héctor Ayala: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is endemic in Philadelphia

The words of our interviewee offer some peace of mind to small business owners. The financial assistance that is about to be distributed will not be the only small business assistance there will be. “That is why we encourage all small businesses to be ready. They should have all their documents in order. They can also contact our community entities. The development center at Widener and Temple University is ideal. There are different entities that can help you organize your documents. The answer is yes, help is going to keep coming, but it is important that our community is informed. It happens that the money comes, but it doesn’t get to where it needs to go. I appreciate this opportunity because that’s what we want, to get this message out to our small businesses”.

Available consulting services

No one learns to walk alone. All of us at some point in our development have received help. In terms of assistance to small entrepreneurs, Kersy Azócar is a mine of knowledge. She knows their needs and the dimension of the challenge they face on a daily basis.

With that certainty, our financial agent went a step further. Her vocation as a servant led her to the counseling field. She carries a lot of wisdom in her life’s saddlebags. “We can treat with the same respect and love someone who is looking for a $600 loan, or a thousand dollars, or someone who wants a million. We know how to make that connection. We know the story of the one who started with a thousand dollars and went on to get half a million dollars.”

Her priority is administering the small business assistance of the COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program, CHIRP. But in between is her involvement with Widener University’s Small Business Development Center. There she plays the role of consultant. “That also allows me to continue, provide and connect small businesses with the assistance they need.”

PIDC is a CDFI (Community Development Financial Institutions). They have a designation to help the community. They provide microloans and large loans as well. They have managed several programs in the city of Philadelphia. One of the latest ones they are coordinating is CHIRP. With it they can give ‘grants’ to small businesses that are eligible in that industry between $5,000 and $50,000.

Traducción: José Espinoza

Leer en español

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According to the Philadelphia City Council website, the grants are part of the city council’s $25 million New Normal Budget Act which prioritizes recovery for jobs and economic prosperity throughout the pandemic and will be administered through the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy.

“The Illuminate the Arts Grants make a necessary investment to Philadelphia’s arts, culture and nightlife sectors,” said Councilmember Isaiah Thomas. “When the city fully opens up, arts and culture will drive people to the city. We can’t keep saving the arts, we have to start illuminating the arts as the economic drivers and job creators that they’ve always been. With a focus on individual artists, mid-size nonprofits and small businesses, the Illuminate the Arts grants seek to send an overdue lifeline to the arts community.”

You can read: These are the businesses eligible for the Hospitality Relief Funding

Councilmembers Thomas and Gilmore Richardson will introduce Thursday 25 a transfer ordinance for $1.3M to the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy. $1M will be allocated for grants for artists and cultural organizations with additional funds for a temporary full-time staffer to oversee the administrative responsibilities repay pandemic-related losses to artists and assist in 2021 arts events planning.

To invest directly

“Today, with funding from the New Normal Budget Act, we are excited to be able to invest directly in arts and culture, a sector that has been deeply impacted as a result of the pandemic,” said Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson.

The grants will officially open once the transfer ordinance is passed and OACCE hires a temporary full-time position for grant administration, expected mid-March. The Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy’s website: www.creativephl.org, will have information about the grant application process.

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The funding, which is aimed to support the commonwealth’s hospitality industry will be provided in the form of block grants to each county based on population and will be allocated by February 28. Grants will be awarded in $5,000 increments with a $50,000 maximum.

 “After months of calling for support for our hospitality establishments and their employees, I am pleased that the General Assembly has allocated millions of dollars in resources to protect and preserve this industry,” said Gov. Wolf

You can read: Tow Wolf creates a COVID-19 vaccine joint task force with legislature

Each county will administer the funding through one or more designated Certified Economic Development Organization (CEDO) or Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), which will then process applications from businesses in each county. CEDOs or CDFIs must begin accepting applications from businesses by March 15. Program guidelines are available on the Department of Community and Economic Development’s (DCED) website.

Which businesses are eligible?

Businesses are eligible for the relief funding if:

• They have a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) designation within the Accommodation subsector (721) or Food Services and Drinking Places subsector (722) and where accommodations, food or drink is served to or provided for the public, with or without charge.
• They have fewer than 300 full-time equivalent employees.
• They have a maximum tangible net worth of not more than $15 million.
• They were operative on February 15, 2020 and remains in operation and do not intend to permanently cease operations within one year of the date of application.
• COVID-19 has had an adverse economic impact on the eligible applicants which makes the grant request necessary to support the ongoing operations of the eligible applicants.

Priority will be given to applicants that:

• Have not received a loan or grant issued under the authority of the commonwealth or the commonwealth’s political subdivisions or by the federal government;
• Were subject to closure by the Governor’s disaster declaration; or

Can demonstrate one of the following:

• A reduction in gross receipts of 50 percent or more for the period beginning after March 31, 2020, and ending before December 31, 2020, in comparison to the period beginning after March 31, 2019, and ending before December 31, 2019.
• If the eligible applicant was not in operation during the entire comparison period, but was in operation on February 15, 2020, a monthly average reduction in gross receipts of 50 percent or more for the period beginning after March 31, 2020, and ending before December 31, 2020, in comparison to the period beginning after January 1, 2020, and ending before April 1, 2020.

Businesses with questions about the relief funding should contact their local county offices, CEDO, or CDFI for more information.

For the most up-to-date information on COVID-19, Pennsylvanians should follow www.governor.pa.gov and www.doh.pa.gov.

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Officials said 4,933 small businesses from all 67 counties would receive an average grant of about $20,000 from the COVID-19 Relief Pennsylvania Statewide Small Business Assistance fund, which was created with $225 million of the state’s $2.6 billion in federal stimulus money. The information came from The Bucks County Courier Times.

“As we continue to address this public health crisis, it’s critical that we also focus on our state’s economic recovery and supporting our small businesses across the state, which continue to be impacted by our necessary mitigation efforts,” Wolf said in a statement.

You can read: Pennsylvanias are in time to get their federal stimulus checks

Recipients were limited to businesses with $1 million or less in revenue per year and less than 25 employees.

The grants can be used for operating expenses during the COVID-19 shutdown, the transition to reopening and other expenses.

Daniel Betancourt, the president and CEO of Community First Fund and chairman of the grants administrator, the Pennsylvania Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI), said there were more than 50,000 applications requesting $865 million in assistance.

More than 68 percent of businesses receiving grants are owned by women while 16 percent are in rural areas. Eighty percent of businesses are owned by low- or moderate-income residents.

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