LONG BRANCH, N.J. (1010 WINS) -- Small businesses in 64 New Jersey municipalities will be able to apply for rental assistance grants of up to $10,000 as part of a new COVID-19 relief program, Gov. Phil Murphy said Thursday.
The $6 million Small Business Lease Emergency Assistance Grant Program is part of a broader relief program, called the Main Street Commercial Corridors Relief Program, aimed at helping small businesses weather the COVID-19 crisis, Murphy said during a news conference.
The following tenants will be able to apply for grants when the state starts accepting online applications on Aug. 10, the governor said in a release:
- Tenants leasing commercial space in mixed-use buildings
- Tenants leasing space in commercial buildings
- Tenants leasing space to operate a storefront business
The program "will be targeted to businesses with 5,000 square feet of leased space or less, and is requiring standard debarment and legal qualifications from applying businesses," the release notes. Funding will be allocated through the federal CARES Act on a first-come, first-served basis.
"COVID-19 has upended our economy in a way that has only happened twice in our state's economy — the Great Depression and the Civil War," Murphy said during the news conference.
"We will not let COVID-19 take us down. We're fighting every day to protect public health, and we are fighting just as hard to secure our long term economic health, and we will win this fight," he added.
Murphy on Thursday reported 344 new COVID-19 cases and 23 new deaths, bringing the state's case total to 177,887 and its death toll to 13,810.
Only four of the 23 people who died passed away within the past five days, the governor noted. The state is also investigating an additional 1,920 probable COVID-19 deaths, he said.
