NJ business grants & Tax credits

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The Small Business Improvement Grant provides compensation for expenses incurred while completing building upgrades, purchasing new furniture, fixtures and equipment obtained from March 9th, 2020. 

Eligibility: 

Small businesses and nonprofits in the process of making improvements to their business with a minimum expense of $5,000

Benefits: 

Grants are equal to 50% of eligible total project costs up to $50,000 . 

The NJEDA Small Business E-commerce Support Program provides free consulting and

digital marketing consulting services to New Jersey small businesses in the restaurant,

retail and personal care industries to assist with website development and website

optimization, e-commerce platform, online ordering platform, online appointment

booking platform and digital marketing plan.

Eligibility:

• Business must be in one of the following industries: Restaurant, Retail Store or Personal Care business (e.g., barbershop, hair salon, nail
• salon, etc.)
• Situated in a commercial location with a physical store front in NJ
• Currently registered to do business in NJ
• Small business as defined by the US Small Business Administration (SBA)
• Able to provide a current NJ Business Assistance or Incentive Clearance Certificate

Benefits:  Businesses are awarded the following: Restaurants to $11,400, Retail Stores up to $10,800 and Personal Care Businesses up to $11,400. The money is to be used for any of the following expenses: 

• Website Design, Development & Implementation
• Online Ordering/Appointment Booking Platform Implementation
• E-commerce Platform Design, Development & Implementation
• Online Marketing Plan Development

The Small Business Lease Grant offers grant money to cover a portion of the lease payments for companies and NGOs leasing new or extra space, promoting the expansion and development of small businesses and nonprofits.

Eligibility: 

Small businesses and nonprofits entering a new market-rate lease, lease amendment, or lease extension for at least a 5-year term that includes at least 250 square feet of street-level space.

Benefits:  

Two grant awards of 20% of the annual lease payment. 

The Work Opportunity tax credit program is a Federal tax credit for companies that hire and retain veterans and individuals from other target groups who have considerable barriers to employment such as qualified TANF recipients, qualified veterans, qualified ex-felons, designated community residents, vocational rehabilitation referrals, recipient of SNAP benefits (food stamps), Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients, long-term family assistance recipients, and qualified long-term unemployment recipients. 

Eligibility:  

The business must be registered in New Jersey

Benefits:   

The tax credit ranges from $2,400 to up to $9,600 per employee hired. 

For the purpose of enhancing the abilities of current employees, Upskill provides grants to New Jersey businesses of any size. Employers may offer training at their place of business or through a qualified training provider. These should be group-based trainings rather than being specific to a single individual.

Eligibility:  

Businesses with existing employees who can be trained in a new skill for current and future workforce demands.

Benefits:   

Employers can receive grants of up to $100,000.  

By providing technical assistance and incentives to builders who adhere to these criteria, the Residential New Construction (RNC) Program aims to improve the energy efficiency and environmental performance of residential new construction structures (single and multifamily) in New Jersey. 

Eligibility:

• Must use natural gas and/or electricity as the primary heating fuel supplied by a New Jersey investor‐owned utility
• Must be newly constructed single family, multi‐single low‐rise, and high‐rise multifamily buildings
• Existing homes undergoing substantial renovation or remodeling that meets the criteria above

Benefits:  

The program offers builders and raters varying incentives from $500 to $6,000+ per home. 

The Pre-Apprenticeship in Career Education (PACE) program is directed to better position secondary, post-secondary, adult education, and occupational training to meet labor demands specific to New Jersey and expand career routes leading to economically sustainable income.

Programs funded through PACE provide education and training leading to one of the following conclusions:

1. Admission into a USDOL Registered Apprenticeship program
2. Admission into a post-secondary college, or occupation-specific career training
3. Employment with a starting wage no lower than $15 per hour

Eligibility:

• Entities that are developing new, or building upon existing Registered Apprenticeship programs
• Any employer, trade association, labor organization, or others with programs supporting the industries in which they work

Benefits:   

The program offers builders and raters varying incentives from $500 to $6,000+ per home. 

The Catalyst Research and Development (R&D) Voucher Pilot Program  is designed to offer NJ based startups financial support to help them develop and bring to market innovative technologies from the early stages of research into commercially applicable and functional  technologies. 

Eligibility:

• Must be registered to conduct business in New Jersey at the time of application
• Cannot have more than 25 full-time employees (35hrs per week) at the time of application and throughout the voucher duration
• 100% of the project work has to be conducted in NJ
• Minimum of one full-time employee working in NJ at the time of application and throughout the voucher duration
• 50% or more of the work is conducted in NJ
• Applicant must obtain a signed approval letter from a participating university/college, Federal lab, or non-profit organization confirming that the facility is capable and willing to provide the services that will be supported by the voucher (current list of participating facilities). 

Benefits: 

Eligible applicants can apply for funding up to $8,000 per participant for:

1. Costs associated with personnel expenses, instructor costs, non-personnel costs, pre-apprentice training, supplies and materials, and other direct costs as outlined in the program details
2. Stipends for participants of the program based on participants reaching program milestones

The Child Care Facilities Improvement Program, is a project that provides grants to those child care providers in New Jersey who are investing in facility upgrades for top-notch early childhood learning environments. 

Eligibility:

• Child care center licensed by the New Jersey Department of Children and Families (NJDCF) as of June 4th, 2021
• Currently enroll, or have enrolled in the 12 months prior to the date of application, at least one child receiving support through the New Jersey Department of Human Services (NJDHS) Child Care Assistance Program
• For-profit businesses or non-profit organizations that can own or lease space
• Be in good standing with the New Jersey Departments of Labor and Workforce Development, Environmental Protection, NJDCF, and NJDHS
• Must not be debarred from receiving federal funds
• Contractors conducting facility improvements must be New Jersey Department of Labor (NJDOL) Public Works Registered Contractors and abide by state prevailing wage and affirmative action requirements

Eligible Costs:

• Labor and materials cost for interior and exterior facility improvements to create high-quality early childhood learning environments. See the full list of eligible facility improvement projects:
• Soft costs are capped at up to 20% of the total grant and are limited to: architect fees, permit fees, construction management, freight and shipping delivery, environmental assessment

Benefits:  Grant between $50,000 to $200,000

New Jersey is offering a transferable credit to companies that produce content in the state. This credit can be applied against both the corporate business tax and the gross income tax, providing a significant incentive for businesses to choose New Jersey as their media production location. 

Eligibility:   

Companies must produce content in New Jersey

Benefits  

• A tax credit equal to 20% of qualified digital media production expenses, or
• 25% of qualified digital media production expenses for services performed and tangible personal property purchased through vendors located in specific New Jersey counties

The Catalyst Research and Development (R&D) Voucher Pilot Program  is designed to offer NJ based startups financial support to help them develop and bring to market innovative technologies from the early stages of research into commercially applicable and functional  technologies. 

Eligibility:

• Must be registered to conduct business in New Jersey at the time of application
• Cannot have more than 25 full-time employees (35hrs per week) at the time of application and throughout the voucher duration
• 100% of the project work has to be conducted in NJ
• Minimum of one full-time employee working in NJ at the time of application and throughout the voucher duration
• 50% or more of the work is conducted in NJ
• Applicant must obtain a signed approval letter from a participating university/college, Federal lab, or non-profit organization confirming that the facility is capable and willing to provide the services that will be supported by the voucher (current list of participating facilities). 

Benefits: 

Eligible applicants can apply for funding up to $8,000 per participant for:

1. Costs associated with personnel expenses, instructor costs, non-personnel costs, pre-apprentice training, supplies and materials, and other direct costs as outlined in the program details
2. Stipends for participants of the program based on participants reaching program milestones

This program provides funding to offset the cost of purchasing stations for charging electric vehicles.

Eligibility:

• Public, workplaces, and multi-unit residential dwellings are eligible
• Charging stations can't be placed in private residential dwellings  

Benefits: 

Businesses and others can be reimbursed for 100% of the costs if on government property and 80% of costs if on private property, up to a maximum of:

• $750 per Level 1 charging port (provides 120 VAC up to 12 A)
• $4,000 per Level 2 charging port (provides 240 VAC from 12 A to 80 A)

The Program’s goal is to support innovation from researchers and entrepreneurs focused on developing technology and other solutions to address food insecurity in New Jersey. It will accelerate New Jersey’s early-stage innovation-based companies’ research and development of technologies, enabling research-stage concepts to transform into commercially viable products and services that address the food security needs of New Jersey’s communities. CSIT aims to fund ten (10) companies for awards of up to $75,000 each.

Eligibility:  

• Be authorized and in good standing to conduct business in New Jersey as evidenced by a current New Jersey tax clearance certificate listing the New Jersey Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology.  All certificates listing another state agency will be rejected.
• Have no more than 25 full-time equivalent (“FTE,” calculated on a 35-hour work week) workers at the time of application.
• Have a minimum of one (1) full-time worker (calculated on a 35-hour work week). A founder can be counted as a worker; a worker may be paid or unpaid.
• 50% or more of the cumulative hours worked by all workers, founders, and contractors in New Jersey calculated on a full-time equivalent basis of 35 hours per week.
• Have less than or equal to $2,000,000 in calendar year 2022 sales revenue (excluding grant revenue)

Award Size:

CSIT will award grants of up to $75,000 to a total of ten companies.

Eligible Applicants can propose a Project with a maximum budget of $75,000 for a term of up to one (1) year.  At CSIT’s sole discretion, a single extension to the grant term for up to an additional 3 months at no cost may be permitted.

First disbursement of 80% of grant award at the Execution Date of Grant Agreement.  Second disbursement of 20% after Final Report is submitted. Grants are equal to 50% of eligible total project costs up to $50,000 . unemployment recipients. 

Eligibility:  

The business must be registered in New Jersey

Benefits:   

The tax credit ranges from $2,400 to up to $9,600 per employee hired. 

The Return and Earn program is a grant for those employers who hire unemployed workers, provide training for them, and equip them with a new skill necessary for the job.  

Eligibility: 

Employers with 100 or fewer employees registered with the State of NJ and who will provide substantive on-the-job training at their location or utilize approved virtual training that results in skill badges or industry-recognized credentials

Benefits:

• Employers can receive up to 50% wage subsidy for up to 6 months (with a cap of $10,000 per employee and a total cap of $40,000 across all employees)
• Employees will receive a $500 incentive for re-entering the workforce and receiving training from businesses with 100 or fewer employees

The Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) Manufacturers Energy Sales Tax Exemption offers manufacturers in UEZs a sales and use tax exemption for electricity and natural gas.

Eligibility: 

• UEZ-certified manufacturers with at least 250 full-time employees
• At least 50% of employees must be involved in the manufacturing process
• The energy and utility services must be consumed exclusively at the facility

Benefits:   Businesses receive a sales tax exemption for the purchase of electricity and natural gas for use at the facility. 

The Emerge Program offers per-job tax credits to projects in targeted communities that invest private capital into New Jersey. This program also contributes to generate new full-time positions or retain a significant number of jobs in Governor Phil Murphy’s priority sectors versus an optional out-of-state location.

Eligibility: 

• Companies that meet the program minimums for new job creation or retained jobs
• Must be located in an eligible incentive location
• Can demonstrate the award of tax credits is a “material factor” in their decision to locate in New Jersey versus an out-of-state alternative location. 

Benefits:  

• Annual base per-new job tax credits from $500,000 - $8,000 per job per year depending on project location and other aspects of the project
• Bonuses are also available on project location, industry, and alignment with other policy objectives
• Jobs that are covered by a labor harmony agreement are eligible for an additional $1,000 bonus over the capped amounts.

The Main Street Acquisition Support Grant will be a grant product that will offer a reimbursement of closing costs up to $50,000 to eligible NJ small businesses that have purchased a commercial property from which their business will operate.   

Eligibility:

• For-profit or non-profit entities that meet various requirements.
• Must meet the SBA definition of a small business based on their NAICS code.
• Closing must have taken place after the application was open to the public and the grant application date must be no later than one year from the date of closing. 

Benefits:  

• Reimbursement of closing costs to eligible NJ small businesses that have purchased a commercial property in which their business will operate in alignment with other policy objectives
• Jobs that are covered by a labor harmony agreement are eligible for an additional $1,000 bonus over the capped amounts.

Award Size:

•  Applicants may request a grant of up to $50,000
• One grant per EIN for a maximum of one location (verified by the business’s employer identification number, or EIN)