COVID-19 Response Resources for Businesses & Employees

The Economic Development Department provides these links and the resources below to assist businesses and employees seeking COVID-19 adaptation assistance. 

The NH Council for the Arts reminds artists of two grant programs:

NH CARES Artist-Led Project Grants 
Grants to individual artists for specific, definable projects that connect artists and organizations to local initiatives. This program will support employment opportunities for artists impacted by COVID-19 by building new structures and partnerships that will help to sustain New Hampshire’s creative sector. Deadline: March 4, 2022.

 Artist Entrepreneurial Grant
Final FY22 quarterly deadline: February 4, 2022

The NH SBA District office is planning their 2021 Year in Review and will plan to discuss their goals for this year on a webinar on Feb 22 at 2p. Registration can be found here.  

 

The NH Small Business Development Center program announcements:

 Pathway to Micro – individualized and confidential advising on how to start a micro business for unemployed or underemployed individuals.

 FAME (Finance Accelerator Marketing Expeditor) – the SBDC connects existing and new clients with independent financial and marketing consultants for up to 5 hours of no-cost advising.  

The IRS and the EDA have opened up registration for educational opportunities for businesses and community leaders:

 IRS - “Hearing all Voices Small Business Workshop & Listening Session.” The Workshop will cover a variety of tax concerns for businesses including: income, deductions, employment taxes, recordkeeping and preparation for the 2022 filing season. The session for NH businesses will be Feb 17 at 1PM. More details can be found here.

 EDA - “Future Focused Economic Planning for Rural America” Feb 17 at 2PM. Experts from the Center on Rural Innovation and Rural Innovation Strategies, Inc. will discuss technologically driven trends and strategies for rural communities.  More details and registration can be found here. They have one earlier that day as well starting at 11AM on equity investing and supply chain financing which can be found here.

SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER PHASE 3 RESILIENCE SURVEY!

The SBDC launched its first small business resilience survey in Jun 2020 and followed it up with another in Feb 2021. SBDC is tracking how businesses’ needs and their responses to the pandemic have evolved over the last eighteen months. 

  • For the Phase 2 (Feb 2021) Portsmouth report, click here.
  • For the Phase 2 (Feb 2021) Seacoast report, click here.
  • For the Phase 1 (June 2020) Seacoast report, click here.
  • For the Phase 1 (June 2020) Statewide Report, click here. 

RESTAURANT REVITALIZATION FUND (RRF)

The recently enacted American Rescue Plan contains $28.6 billion dollars in the Restaurant Relief Fund to aid one of the hardest-hit sectors during the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will administer the funds to the hardest-hit small restaurants. For details on the fund and the application, click here.

Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) The American Rescue Plan Act established the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) to provide funding to help restaurants and other eligible businesses keep their doors open. This program will provide restaurants with funding equal to their pandemic-related revenue loss up to $10 million per business and no more than $5 million per physical location. Recipients are not required to repay the funding as long as funds are used for eligible uses no later than March 11, 2023.

For assistance with applying, contact Warren Daniel, Regional Director and Business Advisor at the Small Business Development Center at warren.daniel@unh.edu

NH RENTERS ASSISTANCE -- The New Hampshire Emergency Rental Assistance Program (NHERAP), a state program powered by federal funds to help cover rent and utilities for households struggling due to the impact of COVID-19, launched earlier today. Applications are available on the Community Action Partnership of New Hampshire website at capnh.org and through the Southern NH Services website: https://www.snhs.org/ SNHS can also supply paper applications if you call SNHS at (603) 668-8010 extension 6311. SNHS is also offering assistance for anyone needing help filling out an application. Eligible households can receive 12 months assistance to cover rent, utilities and other housing-related costs. The NHERAP will pay grants to the landlord or utility provider directly on behalf of the household. With permission from their tenants, landlords can assist in applying for relief.

SBA Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) application portal open: Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) applications not yet being accepted. For more information visit the SBA website, which includes frequently asked questions, video tutorials and other SVOG detail. Potential applicants should register in the federal government’s System for Award Management (SAM.gov), as this is required for an entity to receive an SVOG, and reference the preliminary application checklist and eligibility requirements. 

For the Universal Guidelines for business making preparations to reopen, click here.

For the City of Portsmouth Business Reopening Work Group action plans for restaurant indoor and outdoor dining, click here.

For the Citizen Response Task Force page, reports and background, click here.

For OSHA guidance on COVID-19 reopening compliance issues, click here.  
 
US GOVERNMENT FEDERAL RESOURCES

NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE RESOURCES

  • NH Employment Security (NHES) Layoffs and business closures: If your business faces a potential layoff, the State of New Hampshire offers services through its Rapid Response program.
    • Employers facing potential layoffs or closures should contact Joe Doiron at Joseph.Doiron@livefree.nh.gov, 603-271-0146, to activate a Rapid Response team. More information can be found at NH Works.
    • Employees experiencing layoffs: The State of New Hampshire offers a number of services for employees who have been laid off.  Individuals will need to file for unemployment each week of temporary unemployment and this can and should be done online or by calling the hotline at 603-271-7700.
    • Filing for unemployment. You are assigned a day and time to file based on the first letter of your last name. The unemployment system hotline is 603-271-7700. Payments are made beginning eight days from when the claim is filed. Those filing claims must login again for each week of continued eligibility and file a continued claim.
    • If you’re Self Employed and have filed for unemployment benefits, ignore the Denial Message you receive. Your unemployment claim requires time to process as a result of your being Self Employed. You will receive a telephone call from NHES to obtain wage information to process and complete your unemployment claim.
    • File a Claim for Benefits

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