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Any business owner whose business suffered damage due to Hurricane Sandy has until Tuesday, Dec. 31, to submit an application for the Stronger NJ Business Grant Program, according to a news release from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

The program provides grants of up to $50,000 to businesses damaged by the hurricane. To be eligible, businesses must have experienced a minimum of $5000 worth of physical damage from the storm, the release stated.

Any business owner who may have started the application process is encouraged to hit “submit” from within the online grant application to ensure it will be considered for funding after the deadline. Applicants can continue to upload supporting documentation after the submission deadline.

To date, 184 grants totaling nearly $8.7 million have been approved for Stronger NJ Business Grants, the release stated.

The grant application process ends next week but the Stronger NJ Business Loan Program will continue to accept applications. The loan program offers loans of up to $5 million to businesses with no interest or principal payments for up to 24 months to businesses impacted by the storm, as well as businesses looking to expand within storm-impacted communities, the release stated.

For more information on the Stronger NJ Business programs, including the complete list of eligibility criteria and eligible uses of funds visit the Economic Development Authority website or call their Sandy hotline at 1-855-SANDY-BZ (1-855-726-3929).

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