New Hampshire GAP Fund

The application period for this program has ended.

The Governor has authorized the allocation and expenditure of $30 million of CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Funds (“flex funds”) for the New Hampshire General Assistance & Preservation (GAP) Fund to provide emergency financial relief to New Hampshire businesses and nonprofit organizations impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but that have been unable to access support from other existing state and federal programs.

For-profit Awards

The awards for for-profit applicants from the GAP Fund were primarily calculated in two distinct ways:

  1. For businesses who were operational for at least one year prior to the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis:
    The award amount was calculated using the same formula used by the Main Street Relief Fund (MSRF). This formula reflects 17% of expected revenue shortfall in calendar year 2020 compared to calendar year 2019, adjusted for other support received from state or federal programs. Analysis of supplied historical and projected financial information was used to verify the accuracy of the information supplied in applications received, making any adjustments that were necessary to ensure accurate calculations of award eligibility. Regardless of the outcome of any formula, awards were not granted in amounts higher than requested by the applicant.
  2. For businesses who were not operational for at least one year prior to the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis:
    With no prior year comparable to utilize the MSRF formula approach, a per-employee formula approach was utilized instead. In these circumstances the primary approach was to award $2,250 per each W2 employee officially recorded in New Hampshire Employment Security records. Employment records were obtained for both quarter one and quarter two from calendar year 2020, and employee count was used from whichever quarter had the higher number of employees. Regardless of the outcome of any formula, awards were not granted in amounts higher than requested by the applicant.

Non-profit Awards

The awards for non-profit applicants from the GAP Fund were calculated based on 75% of the following:

  1. Supported Actual Expenses due to COVID-19 from March 1 to the date of the application, plus
  2. Projected Expenses due to COVID-19 from the date of the application to December 30, 2020, plus
  3. Net Actual Losses of Revenue due to COVID-19 from March 1 to the date of the application, plus
  4. Net projected Losses of Revenue due to COVID-19 the date of the application to December 30, 2020, minus
  5. Other COVID-19 assistance received such as PPP and other COVID grants.
  6. Regardless of the outcome of any formula, awards were not granted in amounts higher than requested by the applicant.

GAP Fund Grant Agreement Terms and Conditions

Appeals

Appeal of determinations of ineligibility for the reasons listed immediately below may be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. on September 25, 2020 to info@nhbfa.com.  Appeals of the awarded amount itself, if any, are not eligible for consideration. Appeals for reasons other than the list immediately below are not eligible for consideration. The Appeal will consist of a re-review of the application and supporting materials already submitted and any explanation of why the determination was incorrect based on the application materials submitted. Appeal requests may include new information for consideration only if that information directly pertains to the eligibility factors listed below.

Appealable Eligibility Factors, For-Profit Applicants

If your application was incorrectly denied for not meeting any of the following criteria:

  • Be a for-profit business
  • Have at least one (1) non-owner W2 employee
  • Have its principal place of business in New Hampshire or conduct a significant portion of its operation in New Hampshire
  • Demonstrate that the business was fully operational prior to March 13, 2020
  • Not currently be in bankruptcy
  • Not have permanently ceased operations
  • Be in Good Standing with the New Hampshire Secretary of State
Appealable Eligibility Factors, Non-Profit Applicants

If your application was incorrectly denied for not meeting any of the following criteria:

  • Be a nonprofit organization that is not a 501c(3) or 501c(6)
  • Have its principal place of operations in New Hampshire
  • Have a primary purpose that is not lobbying and/or legislative advocacy
  • Not currently be in bankruptcy
  • Not have permanently ceased operations
  • Be in Good Standing with the New Hampshire Secretary of State

Eligibility for the GAP Fund, include but are not limited to:

For-Profit eligibility criteria:
  • Be a for-profit business
  • Have at least one (1) non-owner W2 employee
  • Have its principal place of business in New Hampshire or conduct a significant portion of it operation in New Hampshire
  • Demonstrate that the business was fully operational prior to March 13, 2020
  • Not currently be in bankruptcy
  • Not have permanently ceased operations
  • Be in Good Standing with the New Hampshire Secretary of State
  • Demonstrate a quantifiable financial impact on their business due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Not-for-Profit eligibility criteria:
  • Be a nonprofit organization that is not a 501c(3) or 501c(6)
  • Have its principal place of operations in New Hampshire
  • Administrative expenses due to COVID-19 that are in compliance with IRS rules and regulations for business expenses
  • Have a primary purpose that is not lobbying and/or legislative advocacy
  • Not currently be in bankruptcy
  • Not have permanently ceased operations
  • Be in Good Standing with the New Hampshire Secretary of State
  • Demonstrate a quantifiable financial impact on their business due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Note: Receipts of Coronavirus Relief Funds from any other State program is not an automatic disqualification, however the amount of such assistance will be taken into consideration for eligibility and the amount of any award. Additionally, a business where the only employees are owners of the business are not eligible for grants under the GAP Fund as an alternative relief program was designed to address the need of these entities using CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Funds (“flex funds”).

Important Dates & Timeline
  • Application Period – July 21, 2020 – August 7, 2020
  • Application Verification Period – August 10, 2020 – August 21, 2020
  • Awards Announced – September 10, 2020
  • Appeal Deadline – September 25, 2020 at 5:00 p.m.

Instructional webinars to review the GAP Fund application process and are highly recommended to any prospective applicant and available on the following dates to register:

Webinar Recordings