2012 MCC Small Business Recovery Fund

2012 MCC Small Business Recovery Fund

The Manhattan Chamber of Commerce Foundation is working with business partners to raise funds for small businesses throughout the city affected by Hurricane Sandy. Donations are being accepted and small grants will be given to businesses to help with rent, payroll, clean up, etc. Applications must be fully completed in order to be considered for a grant.

Please also note that there are no guarantees that we will be able to provide grants as our ability to distribute the funds depends on the amount of donations The Fund receives.

About the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce Foundation:

The MCC Foundation (MCCF), a 501c(3) non-profit affiliate of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce established in 1994, is dedicated to identifying and fostering business education and leadership. The Foundation provides mentoring and educational opportunities for small and mid-size businesses. Post 9/11 the Foundation distributed over $150,000 in grants to small businesses in Lower Manhattan to help them get back on their feet. Today the Foundation is taking on this same program to support small businesses affected by Hurricane Sandy.

How to Contribute to the MCC Small Business Recovery Fund:

*MCC is partnering with Save Local from Constant Contact. Donate $5 and Constant Contact will match your donation. Click here to donate.

*MCC is also partnering with Lucky Ant to raise money for the fund. Please click here to donate.

*If you would like to send a donation directly to the fund please make your check out to “Manhattan Chamber of Commerce Foundation” and send to us at MCC, 1375 Broadway, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10018. Please include your contact info with e-mail address so we may send you a receipt for your records.

Reporting Requirements For Grantees:

Fund recipients will be asked to provide reporting on how funds were used. Reports will be written in English and provide a narrative of results achieved and shall follow the format provided by the MCC.

Review Process:

MCC must receive all applications by December 31, 2012. MCC will evaluate all applications and notify applicants of eligibility for funding as applications are received and funds become available. Funding is on a first come, first served basis.

Related Documents:

• Application

http://www.manhattancc.org/common/News/articles/detail.cfm?QID=9584&classification=news&topicID=0&clientID=11001&subnav=news

Important Message from MCC Regarding Storm Recovery Resources

Dear MCC Member,

We hope you and your families are safe and well. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who have been affected by the storm. This has been a devastating time for many as we struggle to come to terms with loss of life, injury and damage to homes, businesses and infrastructure. As you are aware, we continue to face many challenges in Manhattan and throughout the city as well as our friends and neighbors all along the east coast and beyond. The recovery process will be lengthy and we assure you we will do everything in our power to help businesses affected in our area. We have assembled a list of resources which we have listed below.

Please let us know if your business is facing specific challenges and we will direct you to the appropriate agency or resource. We'd like to hear from you about losses your business has faced from being closed, disruptions in supply, etc. Please let us know your stories so we can gather information about what Manhattan and NYC area businesses are facing. Please e-mail Laura Bucko, VP/Director of Communications, MCC at laura@manhattancc.org with your questions, concerns or reflections about how your business is coping during this difficult time.

Again, we hope all of you are safe and look forward to assisting you in the recovery process.

Kindest regards,

Nancy Ploeger
President
MCC

Please see the following links and resources:

Resources

 

Emergency Response to Hurricane Sandy: New York City Business Assistance Programs

New York City, including the Department of Small Business Services (SBS) and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), is coordinating a set of services to assist small businesses in recovering from Hurricane Sandy. Below is an outline of available programs and relevant contact information. Please click here for complete information.

 

Senator Gillibrand's office has supplied us with this very helpful guide for disaster assistance and relief funding

In light of the cleanup opearation following Hurricane Sandy, please see the attached file for a comprehensive guide to disaster assistance and relief funding as distributed by the office of Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand.

 

Recovering from damage: Tips for businesses

Recovering from damage / disruption to businesses due to Hurricane Sandy. Click here to see some informative tips.

 

Do you need temporary office space? Micro-Office is now offering daily and weekly rates at their locations

Limited cubicle space, office space and open desk seating are available. Click here to learn more.

 

An Outline for Commercial District Disaster Recovery

Find out about access and entry procedures, building damage and repair, Ecomomic recovery and much more by clicking here.

 

Additional links and resources

Updates on NYC power/transit/schools.  Information on how to apply for disaster relief assistance.  How to find assistance/apply for assistance. Interactive map from ConEdison which lists outages and includes projected service times/dates. Up to date information from the NYC Office of Emergency Management.  Up to date information on subways, busses, LIRR and metro-North trains.  Full updates on NYC schools.

 

Additional information from Assembly Member Dan Quart

Volunteering Volunteers are needed all across the city for a variety of recovery projects. New York Cares is coordinating efforts and every bit of help they can get will be appreciated. You can sign up here.    Absentee Ballots I know many of those who were planning on voting absentee were still waiting to receive absentee ballots before Sandy hit, and I'm sure there are others who need to vote absentee because of the storm. The Board of Elections has extended the deadline for absentee ballot applications until tomorrow, November 2nd. These applications can be mailed or faxed. Once received, a ballot must be postmarked by Monday, November 5th and must arrive at the Board of Elections by November 19th. For more information, see the Board of Elections website.

 

Our friends at New York Tech MeetUp are organizing tech volunteers to assist affected businesses

NY Tech Meetup and New Work City are organizing volunteers with technology skills to help with relief efforts and help New York-area businesses and organizations get their technology back up and running after Hurricane Sandy. For now, we are starting with creating a database so that we have a group of people who have already raised their hands and are ready to go as it becomes more evident which organizations and businesses in the city need help. If you have skills to offer, please sign up here.

Emergency Response to Hurricane Sandy: New York City Business Assistance Programs

New York City, including the Department of Small Business Services (SBS) and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), is coordinating a set of services to assist small businesses in recovering from Hurricane Sandy. Below is an outline of available programs and relevant contact information.

New York City Business Assistance Programs

For small- to mid-sized businesses that have experienced business interruption

Emergency loans will be available, patterned after similar programs deployed in past emergencies. Loans will be capped at $10,000. Please click this link to contact an NYC Business Solutions Account Manager or call 311 and ask for NYC Business Emergency Loan.

For mid- to large-sized businesses that need to undertake rebuilding

An emergency sales tax letter from New York City Industrial Development Authority (IDA) will be available allowing businesses to avoid payment of New York City and New York State sales taxes on materials purchased for rebuilding. IDA will also waive all fees and, while following State law, look to streamline its normal procedure. This program is expected to offer economic benefits to reconstruction projects costing $500,000 or more. Please contact Shin Mitsugi at smitsugi@nycedc.com for further information on this program.

For any business that is temporarily displaced from its space

Short-term "swing" office space at Brooklyn Army Terminal available free of charge for the next 30 days. NYCEDC has approximately 40,000 square feet of warehouse space at the Terminal that can be used for this purpose. Please click this link to contact an NYC Business Solutions Account Manager or call 311 and ask for NYC Business Solutions.

For any business in need of other emergency assistance


The SBS Business Outreach Team and Emergency Response Unit’s Large Scale Response Team will be deployed after the storm to help all impacted small businesses. This team is currently on-call for any storm-related business inquiries and is closely coordinating with the NYC Office of Emergency Management. Please click this link to contact an NYC Business Solutions Account Manager or call 311 and ask for NYC Business Solutions.

Federal Aid Programs for Disaster Recovery

Loans are available up to $2 million for business property losses not fully compensated by insurance. Loans of up to $2 million are also available for small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives and most private, non-profit organizations of all sizes that have suffered disaster-related cash flow problems and need funds for working capital to recover from the disaster's adverse economic impact. This loan in combination with a property loss loan cannot exceed a total of $2 million.

Those in the county designated for assistance to affected residents and business owners can begin the disaster application process by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by web enabled mobile device at m.fema.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). Disaster assistance applicants, who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY, should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers are available from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) Monday through Sunday until further notice. Applicants registering for aid should be prepared to provide basic information about themselves (name, permanent address, phone number), insurance coverage and any other information to help substantiate losses.

Click here for information from the Federal Small Business Administration on disaster recovery assistance.

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