Senator Kaplan, LI Main Street Alliance Celebrate Record Assistance For Small Businesses in 2021-2022 State Budget
Senator Anna M. Kaplan (D-North Hills), Chair of the New York State Senate Committee on Commerce, Economic Development, and Small Business, stood with the Long Island Main Street Alliance, Vision Long Island, Chambers of Commerce from across Nassau County, local officials, and local small business owners to celebrate the inclusion of over $1 billion in grants and relief for small businesses in the recently enacted state budget, and announced that the State is seeking to form grassroot partnerships around the state to help get these resources into the community through trusted messengers.
Senator Anna M. Kaplan, Chair of the Committee on Commerce, Economic Development, and Small Business said "the pandemic has been devastating to New York's small business community, and they need our help if they're going to survive these challenging times. I'm proud to have fought to bring back over a billion dollars in grants and other assistance for our small businesses in the State budget, and as the program rolls out statewide, I encourage every small business owner to apply for the assistance they need and deserve."
Eric Alexander, Vision LI & Long Island Main Street Alliance said “Local businesses are working to build back from the impact of Coronavirus regulations. These grants available from NYS can begin to level the playing field as we work towards a recovery that helps our local communities. Kudos to Senator Kaplan and members of the Legislature for pulling this program together for our deeply impacted small business community.”
Small business initiatives included in the recently enacted 2021-2022 State Budget include:
- $800 Million for The COVID-19 Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program. This new program will provide direct grants, which do not need to be repaid, to small businesses who lost revenue or suffered economic harm as a result of the pandemic. Businesses with 100 or fewer employees will qualify, and the program will be designed to ensure that microbusinesses with 10 or fewer employees are not left out of the process. Grant funding can be used to pay rent, mortgage costs, operational expenses, payroll, insurance, utilities, repayment of local property or school taxes associated with a business's location, PPE expenses, ventilation upgrades required to comply with COVID safety regulations, and any other documented COVID-19 related costs incurred over the last year.
- New York State Restaurant Resiliency Program: $25 million in grants to restaurants providing free meals to economically disadvantaged individuals in economically distressed communities to cover their operational and material costs of meal preparation, provisions, and delivery.
- Arts & Cultural Organization Recovery Grant Programs: $40 million in grants to nonprofit arts and cultural institutions for operating costs, mortgage/rent, equipment, and other related costs. This grant program will be facilitated and administered by the New York State Council on the Arts.
- NYC Musical and Theatrical Production Tax Credit: This two-year, $100 million tax credit program will help the Broadway tourism sector to recover from COVID shutdowns.
- Restaurant Return to Work Credit: Provides $35 million in refundable tax credits for restaurants that were subject to an extended ban on indoor dining.
In addition to appropriating the financial resources for these programs, the budget also makes available a portion of these funds to help the State conduct outreach and provide technical assistance to small business owners to ensure that these funds reach the smallest of businesses in every corner of our community, not just those who are well connected and have staff dedicated to seeking such funding.
Senator Anna M. Kaplan continued "It's critical that these grants get in the hands of the small businesses who need them right away, and I'm thrilled that Empire State Development is working to develop a grassroots outreach effort, potentially including Chambers of Commerce as trained outreach experts, as a means of reaching every small business in our community."