FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Cumberland County Government will reopen the application period for its Small Business Economic Assistance Program from July 1 to July 31, 2023, to allow for additional small businesses to apply for assistance.

The announcement comes along with the Board of Commissioners’ approval on June 19 of a revised Small Business Economic Assistance Policy in light of the US Treasury’s Final Rule on the American Rescue Plan, which was released in April 2022 and included modifications with implications for the County’s Small Business Economic Assistance Program, including revised eligibility criteria, updated funding allocation guidelines, and revised reporting requirements.

The Cumberland County Small Business Economic Assistance Program allows small for-profit businesses that faced economic hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic to apply for up to $50,000 in financial assistance. For the purpose of this program, small businesses are defined as having no more than 250 employees (including the owner) at the time of application submission. Assistance may be provided to reimburse the small business for qualifying expenses related to:

• Payroll, which includes wages and associated payroll taxes; and
• Occupancy, which includes rental lease payments, mortgage (for business property) and utilities.

The application and revised policy will be available on the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners’ American Rescue Plan Website at cumberlandcountync.gov/arp-small-business beginning July 1, 2023.

The website will also include a link to a virtual information session with County staff, which will provide more information about the program, including a question-and-answer period. The information session will be posted to the website beginning July 1.

Anyone with questions should contact the County’s American Rescue Plan team at arpsmb@cumberlandcountync.gov.

For more information on the ARP Committee and Cumberland County’s ARP programs, visit cumberlandcountync.gov/arp.