Newburg Staff Writers (4/15/21)
While there is still no official release date for the RRF Grant applications, the SBA did release a few additional details, which are important. Those details are as follows:
- Once the application is released, it will be available at restaurants.sba.gov (the link is not currently live). The SBA anticipates the application release will be shortly as they are in the final stages of working on the details.
- There will be a pilot program where the SBA will randomly select previous PPP loan applicants who self-identified as a woman, veteran or person of color. The volunteers will participate in a trial-period lasting 7 days and will not receive funds. They will be assisting with trouble shooting the process.
- Fund distributions for the RRF program will begin two weeks after applications and supporting materials are posted on restaurants.sba.gov (including the trial period).
- Due to the anticipated high demand for funds, the SBA is anticipating that not all applicants will receive funding, even if they are eligible to do so. As a result, people are encouraged to apply on the first day. While there is the possibility of Congress implementing another round of funding, there is no guarantee that will happen.
- The SBA is working on making the applications available on POS systems such as Square, Clover, Aloha and Toast, where operators will be able to submit their applications. This would serve as an alternate to the aforementioned restaurants.sba.gov as well as via phone.
Also, as we had outlined in our previous article on the RRF, the SBA plans to award grants “in the order in which they are received,” however, entities that can certify that they meet the definition of a woman or veteran-owned small business or a socially or economically disadvantaged small business, will be given priority for award, if their applications are filed with the SBA within the first 21 days the application is open for submission.
The funds are set aside for different revenue groupings, as follows:
- $5 billion set aside for applicants with 2019 gross receipts of no more than $500,000
- $500 million set aside for applicants with 2019 gross receipts of no more than $50,000
- $4 billion set aside for applicants with 2019 gross receipts of between $500,000 and $1.5 million
Lastly, a reminder that on March 30th the SBA clarified that restaurants do not need to obtain a DUNS number in order to apply for the RRF grant. This clarification was implemented to streamline and simplify the application process for eligible entities.
If you missed our prior article on the RRF, which outlined the program details, use this link to view the article.
We will keep you posted on the latest news and updates surrounding the RRF and other pandemic relief programs as they are released.