COVID-19 Grants From Government for small business and personal Individual – The COVID-19 pandemic has caused money struggles for individuals and a lot of businesses. A lot of individuals have problems paying for their necessities like food, rent, housing, shelter, mortgage, transportation and childcare expenses. Even businesses suffered a lot of losses and were shut off due to the pandemic.
Fortunately, there were grants and assistance programs designed by the federal government for affected individuals and businesses. As businesses, individuals and nonprofit organizations grapple with the financial impact a lot of funders are stepping up to offer financial support through hardship relief, micro grants and loan programs. This guide will throw light on different COVID-19 grants from the government for individuals and businesses.
Highlights of this Post
What Are The Eligibility Criteria To Qualify For COVID-19 Grants?
Individuals and businesses applying for COVID-19 grants from the government and other sources are required to fulfill certain eligibility criteria to demonstrate a strong need for assistance. The general eligibility criteria are as follows:
- Individuals applying for assistance should be a citizen of the United States or eligible non-citizen
- Businesses applying for assistance should be running their organization within the United States of America
- Businesses applying for grants should fulfill the criteria related to the number of employees, revenue requirements, time and business types stated by the program
- Individuals and businesses must have valid documents To demonstrate strong financial need or hardship caused as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic
- The income of the applicant should be less than the area’s median income
- Individuals must have personal identification proof, proof of government benefits that they’re getting from other programs, income verification documents and a Social Security number.
How to apply for COVID 19 Government Grants?
Even if you are applying for the federal government grant or for the state government grant the application process is different for both of them. For applying for these grants, you have to show your proper information and also give all the documents to check that you are qualified for the grant.
Most of the time, it seems that the small business owners have to show the loss in their business operating ability, even if they have any business, such as a shop, restaurant, and store.
To be eligible for the grant, the other business owners just need to prove that their business is registered in a certain city or state.
To know more about the grants and get full detailed information about them, visit the official website of the program. Wth websites like Grants.Gov or GrantWatch a business owner can apply to tons of programs and secure a grant.
What Are The Available COVID-19 Grants From Government For Individuals?
Covid 19 Food Grants
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of households faced food insecurity and this is the reason why federal food assistance programs like SNAP adapted in unprecedented ways to meet challenges of disruption in food supply, high unemployment and school closures.
The USDA-sponsored SNAP program provided monthly benefits to needy families during the COVID-19 situation to purchase food and groceries. The program continues to offer food assistance to individuals based on their income and other factors like immigration status. Participation in the program is associated with a reduction in food insecurity problems in America.
Another USDA-sponsored Nutrition Assistance program for low-income families that helped a lot of families during the COVID-19 pandemic is the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program For Women Infants And Children.
The program allows pregnant women, mothers, infants and children to access nutritious and healthy food items.
Financially challenged families can receive nutritional counseling, education and financial assistance through this program. The program refers eligible women and children to welfare, social service and healthcare programs.
-
Commodity Supplemental Food Program and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to command our attention so it is time to make sure low-income households going through food insecurity are not left out of recovery.
This is the reason why the two USDA grants for seniors Commodity Supplemental Food Program and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program assist food-insecure senior citizens getting food and grocery assistance.
The assistance received through this program helped senior citizens to purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs and other staples at outdoor stands or local farmers markets. The program continues to provide food assistance to economically challenged families.
Covid 19 Housing Grants
The COVID-19 pandemic created a lot of struggles for both landlords and renters. In this situation the US Treasury Department’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program helped low-income tenants and landlords overcome housing and financial difficulties.
The federal assistance program covered 18 months of rent as well as unpaid rent income during the COVID-19 pandemic and future rent in particular cases. The program provided communities with over $46 billion to support housing instability during the COVID-19 situation.
While this program is not available in all states it continues to assist in a few selected states so you need to contact your local state agency to learn if you can apply for this program.
Recommended: Government Grants To Pay Off Debt
-
U.S. Department Of Housing And Urban Development Programs
The COVID-19 pandemic had a detrimental impact on the economy of America. Congress provided around $12 billion through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act of 2020 and more than $10 billion through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to the HUD to assist homeowners, renters, and poor individuals and impacted communities.
Some of the programs of HUD that helped people with housing assistance during COVID-19 situation and are still providing assistance are as follows
- Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program
- Public Housing Program
- Community Development Block Grant Program
- HOME Investment Partnership Program
Recommended: I need help paying my rent before I get evicted
If you’re experiencing homelessness or if your housing situation has been impacted greatly by COVID-19 then you can contact 211 to find a local program. You can also contact your county welfare department to find programs available in your county. Moreover you can call at 800-799-7233 at the National Domestic Violence hotline number to get help with housing resources.
Education Grants For Covid 19
A lot of students faced unexpected expenses such as housing, technology purchases, food and more after colleges and universities closed their physical composing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
To address their need Congress designed the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund as a part of the March 2020 Cares Act and included $14.00 billion to be administered by the U.S. Department of Education.
The federal Pell Grant offers education assistance to students belonging to low-income families. The Pell Grant award in the academic year 2022 to 2023 is $6895. The eligibility criteria require students to be citizens of the United States, must not be defaulters of federal student loans, and must not be convicted of drug possession or sale.
Recommended: Free Government Grants For Educations
Another federally sponsored grant that assisted a lot of low-income students during COVID-19 and continues to provide education assistance today is the Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant.
To qualify for this program students are required to have a Social Security number, be Pell-eligible, be a citizen of the United States, must enroll in an accredited institution and have no drug conviction record. The maximum assistance that you can receive through this education grant is $4000.
A few more federal education grants that assist low-income students are:
- Teacher Education Assistance For Colleges and Higher Education Grant
- Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant.
Utility Grants For Covid 19
A lot of households in America were struggling to pay their utilities during the COVID-19 situation as a result of financial hardship and loss of income.
The federally funded Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program enabled those households to get one-time payments to cover their home heating or cooling bills even if they use propane, wood or oil.
The program helps them in energy or emergency crises for instance utility disconnection. The eligibility criteria to qualify for this program depends on your income, the state of residence and the household size.
The US Department of Energy sponsors the Weatherization Assistance Program intending to improve the weatherization and energy efficiency of low-income households. The program helped low-income households in the COVID-19 pandemic to pay for the utility bills or make improvements in energy efficiency upgrades on their property.
The program is assisting financially challenged families and individuals today to reduce their home energy consumption and utility bills. You can use the WAP grants for installing floors, insulation and ducks over replacing insufficient heating or cooling units.
Recommended: Free money for bills fast Government Grants to Pay
Funeral Grants For Covid 19
The Recovery and Economic Support program by FEMA is one of the biggest relief assistance programs from the COVID-19 pandemic in American history. Even though the assistance ended on 11th May 2023 FEMA continues to provide federal assistance for needy Americans until 30th September 2025 to families who have lost their loved ones because of the pandemic.
Some of the FEMA assistance includes the following
- Reimbursing eligible COVID-19-associated funeral expenses to needy households and poor individuals
- The Cares Act offers an additional $45 billion to the Disaster Relief Fund of FEMA and provides support to the COVID-19 emergency and disaster declaration program.
- FEMA provided additional funding opportunities to local, state, tribal and regional partners through its Emergency Management performance of emergency food and shelter grants and Assistance To Firefighters Programs under the Cares Act To combat the COVID-19 situation.
Recommended: COVID-19 funeral assistance
Covid 19 Income Support Grants
The EDA under the American Rescue Plan dispersed $3 million in supplemental funding for assisting low-income communities nationwide and helping them to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
President Joseph R Biden on 11 March 2021 signed the American Rescue Plan to enable needy Americans to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following are the grant programs under American Rescue plan
- Build Back Better Regional Challenge
- Good Jobs Challenge
- Economic Adjustment Assistance Program
- Indigenous Communities Program
- Statewide Planning, Research And Network
-
Unemployment Insurance Program
The Unemployment Insurance Program was established by the 2020 Cares Act to assist out-of-work Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. A lot of Americans had to face extensive financial hardship due to the COVID-19 situation which resulted in unemployment and loss of income.
The Unemployment Insurance Program provides cash benefits to replace a part of lost earnings for those who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. The state-run program offers individuals weekly payments when they lose their jobs on fulfilling certain eligibility criteria. The unemployment insurance benefits can range up to 26 months depending on your state of residence.
Recommended: Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Unemployment Insurance
The COVID-19 pandemic created substantial and sudden hardship for a lot of families in America belonging to low- income and created unprecedented problems for the operation of benefit programs as well.
A Block grant program known as the Temporary Assistance For Needy Families Program by the federal government provided a set amount of money to each state to help families overcome the crisis caused as a result of COVID-19.
The project continues to provide assistance to low-income families and help them cover their basic needs like food, shelter, clothing, transportation, childcare and so on.
The Social Security Administration continued to provide critical services and income support to people in dire need during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Social Security Administration through the Supplemental Security Income helps low-income families such as senior citizens over 65 years of age, disabled individuals and blind people with income support.
Social Security disability insurance was designed for disabled individuals who are struggling financially and helped them with income support. The criteria to receive assistance today depends on your living arrangements, household income, household size and other criteria.
Recommended: Free Money For Seniors From Government – Hardship Grants for Seniors
Home Ownership And Mortgage Assistance
Even though the federal Homeowner Relief program has ended after the pandemic each state including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico has received minimum assistance of $50 million to provide Financial Assistance for the mortgage to low-income homeowners.
You can check your state’s COVID-19 web page or contact the local Housing Authority to find out what assistance or support is available for you. Homeowners can apply for programs backed by HUD or FHA, USDA and VA to get financial assistance for mortgages. To learn more about down payment or mortgage assistance programs click here.
What Are The Available COVID-19 Grants From Government For Businesses?
A whopping $7.5 billion assistance was added by the ERP to the Paycheck Protection Program that provided payroll and other support for small businesses and companies.
The period to apply for the paycheck protection program ended in May 2021 however participants who were approved for loans through this program can apply for forgiveness anytime during the life of its plan. To learn more information about how to apply for the program you can visit the Small Business Administration web page.
The employee retention credit and paid leave credit have been extended by ERP to small businesses through 2021. The ERC enabled businesses to offset the payroll tax liabilities of 2021 by up to $7000 per employee per quarter until December 2021.
The Small Business tax program was designed for small businesses that lost their revenue due to the COVID-19 situation. Paid leave credit was a tax credit designed for small and mid-sized businesses that offered paid leave to qualified employees who were unable to work due to illness, quarantine or caregiving and provided up to $5000 assistance.
The Small Business Relief Fund by FundMe matches $500 grants to eligible small businesses that have been impacted significantly due to COVID-19 and raises a minimum of $500 through the GoFundMe campaign. This fund is backed by corporations such as QuickBooks, bill.com, GoDaddy, Yelp as well and GoFundMe.
The Employee Retention Credit known as the employee retention tax credit is a stimulus program that has been established by the Cares Act 2020.
The refundable tax credit functions as a grant program that assesses businesses that have been impacted by to COVID-19 pandemic. You can find eligibility guidelines to apply for the program on the official IRS website.
The Small Business Innovation Research Program provides grant opportunities to small businesses so that they can participate in federal research and development and provides highly competitive awards to attain scientific excellence in technological innovation.
To qualify for this grant you need to operate a for-profit company and satisfy other eligibility criteria. Similar to SBIR, the Small Business Technology Transfer program focuses on funding research in the R&D arena.
Recommended: Business Grants for Felons, Convicted Felons And Ex-felons
The National Institute of Health is presently leading funding opportunities associated with COVID-19 research. The grants are reserved for small businesses that are engaged in the development and research of biomedical technology. These grants have different application deadlines and you need to visit the official website to learn more about the program.
The Rural Development Business Program by USDA provides financial support as well as technical assistance for promoting rural business growth. If your business has been impacted due to COVID-19 then you can apply for the program.
USDA provides loans, guarantees and grants to promote economic opportunities as well as job creation in rural communities. Eligibility criteria and deadline may vary depending on the program you are applying for.
A part of the US Department of Commerce known as the Economic Development Administration offers funding opportunities and grants for projects that support national and regional economic development.
The Economic Development Administration funds projects in non-construction, construction, planning, higher education, technical assistance, research and evaluation etc.
Also read: Get Money From PayPal Grant for Business
Conclusion
Seeking out grants is an amazing way for individuals and businesses to gain support to recover from the aftermaths of the COVID-19 situation. The aforementioned business grants provide adequate funding to entrepreneurs who are struggling financially and in need of assistance to launch their businesses. Similarly, individuals who are going through economic crises can apply for COVID-19 grants to get the right support and cover their basic needs for instance housing, food, shelter, education, healthcare and utilities.
As you delve into COVID-19 grants for individuals and business grants are you aware of the specific Hardship Grants For Minorities? Navigate to our blog post at Get Government Grants to learn how to improve your living situation.
Frequently asked Questions
What are covid relief grants?
Covid Relief Grants are funds allotted by the federal governments to local and state authorities to help people who are affected by the covid 19 pandemic. The government has also allowed the small business such as hospitality, hotels, Tourism, Multiplexes, Gyms and spa and small business that couldn’t perform during this period to apply for government covid grants.
What is Government Hardship Grants Covid 19?
The government helps those people that are affected by the covid 19 pandemic. Many of us have lost jobs or businesses, and the federal government understands that it is really a very tough time to get out of all the situations, so government hardship grants covid 19 can be applied through the local grant office.
How to get covid-19 financial assistance ?
Financial assistance during covid 19 helped people to pay their electricity bills, personal expenses, rents, loan EMI’s and many more. People who are still affected with covid 19 pandemic can apply for financial assistance through various government assistance i.e. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.
