Small business owners in Camden County can apply for as much as $10,000 in federal American Recovery Plan Act funds, the county announced Thursday.

The Camden County Recovers Small Business Grant Program, which launched Thursday, is meant to help businesses that struggled, and continue to struggle, with the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Based on businesses' total 2019 revenues, the grants increase depending on how much those revenues were, from $2,500 for businesses that saw revenues less than $25,000 to as much as $10,000 for businesses whose 2019 revenues were between $50,000 and $100,000.

The county launched a website, www.camdencountyrecovers.com, where business owners can apply. They may also call 856-389-6704.

When and how to qualify

Applications will be accepted until all the funds have been allocated, and money is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Businesses that have not received prior federal aid will be given priority.

The deadline to apply is Nov. 30.

To qualify, businesses must meet the following criteria:

• Business revenue has been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic;
• The business has been located in Camden County since January 1, 2019 or earlier;
• The business employed 25 employees or full-time equivalents as of March 1, 2020; and
• The business earned $5 million or less in total revenue during 2019.Businesses in the banking, financial and e-commerce industries do not qualify. Nor do franchises, except those with local owners/operators.

Businesses in the banking, financial and e-commerce industries do not qualify. Nor do franchises, except those with local owners/operators. Businesses that sell or service products geared toward adults only, such as vape shops and liquor stores, also do not qualify.

Commissioner Lou Cappelli said the county dispersed nearly $30 million in federal Recovery Act funds to more than 300 small businesses and nonprofit organizations.

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"But despite that supplemental funding businesses continue to suffer from lost revenue and only a small fraction of a normal operating period for more than a year and half,” Cappelli said. “We know these funds are needed, we know that as this pandemic continues to evolve a value cannot be set on preserving the downtowns we know and love. This grant program is another lifeline for business owners that will provide and protect local jobs.”

The funds can be used to cover operating costs, payroll and expenses related to keeping their businesses safe for employees and customers, noted U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross.

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“Although businesses have reopened, they remain deeply impacted from the past year as foot traffic in brick and mortar stores and restaurants is nowhere near pre-pandemic levels and unemployment numbers remain high,” said Christina Renna, president and CEO of the South Jersey Chamber of Commerce.

The local importance

Haddonfield Mayor Colleen Bianco Bezich noted the importance of small businesses in the health of towns and boroughs throughout the region.

“These funds have been critical to the needs of our downtown and business corridors in Haddonfield. They have allowed business owners to pay down debt, buy (personal protective equipment), renovate outside areas to host patrons. In short, programs like this have continued to allow the blood to flow through the heart of our business community.”

“Small businesses are facing some of their largest challenges since the great depression, including a large disparity gap within the minority and women-owned business community," said Nichelle Pace of the Camden Business Association.

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Yolanda Deaver, owner of Prissy Chic Salon in Camden City, highlighted the impact this support will have on her business immediately.

“Big companies might be able to sustain a prolonged downturn, but small businesses like mine cannot," said Yolanda Deaver, owner of a Camden beauty salon, adding the grants could "level the playing field for entrepreneurs like me."

“We’ve had to limit the number of customers we see in a day, and people are still afraid to go outside and get sick. This funding could be the difference between whether my business stays open or not.”

Phaedra Trethan has been a reporter and editor in South Jersey since 2007 and has covered Camden and surrounding areas since 2015, concentrating on issues relating to quality of life and social justice for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. She's called South Jersey home since 1971. Contact her with feedback, news tips or questions at ptrethan@gannettnj.com, on Twitter @By_Phaedra, or by phone at 856.486-2417.

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