What assistance is there for nonprofits?

The employer side of certain payroll taxes are deferred through the end of 2020. Deferred taxes will not become due until the end of 2021 and the end of 2022, with 50% of the liability being paid at each date. Any business that does not have a loan forgiven under the new Small Business Administration (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program is eligible for the payroll tax deferral.

Partially or Fully Suspended Operations

Certain tax-exempt organizations that have been forced to fully or partially suspend operations, or that have seen a significant drop in revenues are eligible for a 50-% credit for wages paid to furloughed or reduced-hour employees. Organizations that participate in the SBA Paycheck Protection Loan Program are not eligible for the credit. For organizations with 100 employees or less, the credit is based on all wages paid, regardless of whether an employee is furloughed. There is an overall limit on wages per employee of $10,000. The credit can be claimed against the organization’s quarterly payroll tax liability and is fully refundable to the extent of the excess. There will also be options to receive advance payments.

SBA Paycheck Protection Program

501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, along with small businesses, 501(c)(19) veterans organizations, and tribal businesses, are eligible to apply for the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program. Through this program, a nonprofit organization can apply to an SBA-approved lender for a loan of up to 250% of your average monthly payroll costs to cover eight weeks of payroll as well as help with other expenses like rent, mortgage payments, and utilities. The maximum loan amount is $10 million.

This loan can be forgiven based on maintaining employee and salary levels. For any portion of the loan that is not forgiven, the terms include a maximum term of 10 years, a maximum interest rate of 4%. Nonprofit organizations will be able to apply if they were harmed by COVID-19 between February 15, 2020 and June 30, 2020.

To be eligible, nonprofit organizations must have fewer than 500 employees, or more if SBAs size standards for the non-profit allows, and comply with the SBAs affiliation rules for nonprofits. This program is retroactive to February 15, 2020, in order to help bring workers who may have already been laid off back onto payrolls. Loans are available through June 30, 2020.

Quick, Low Cost, Government-Guaranteed Credit

A provision in the CARES package would authorize a program to allow any mid-sized nonprofit between 500 and 10,000 employees to get access to quick, low cost, government-guaranteed credit through their local lender or financial institution. These organizations need cash now and so this program is set up to get money quickly in the hands of those who need it in order to preserve the workforce during the COVID-19 health emergency.

The Treasury Department and Federal Reserve will have a degree of flexibility in designing the new program, but the expectation is for loan terms to last for no more than five years and to cover up to 100% of payroll over the previous 180 days, or 50% of revenues for the past year, for eligible organizations. Underwriting requirements should be kept simple, based on employer size, creditworthiness as of January 2020, and the ability to produce recent tax returns or audited financial statements. The legislation prescribes that the loans must carry an interest rate of no greater than 2% and to provide forbearance on principal and interest for at least the first six months. 

Borrowers will also be required to protect workers. Any loan recipient will have to attest that they’ll use the money to keep workers employed - at least to 90% of their payroll - and keep workers paid at close to full compensation and benefits. Borrowers will also commit to rehiring their workforce back to preexisting levels upon the end of the COVID-19 health emergency. The most efficient way to deliver fast credit to eligible organizations is through existing relationships with local lenders. Under the program, any qualified organization should be able to receive financing at a local bank, credit union, CDFI, or qualified nonbank lender.

Show All Answers

1. What support is there for small businesses?
2. What assistance is there for nonprofits?
3. What types of businesses and entities are eligible for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan?
4. What are Small Business Administration (SBA) affiliation rules?
5. What types of non-profits are eligible for the Small Business Administration (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) assistance?
6. How is the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan size determined?
7. What costs are eligible for payroll under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)?
8. What costs are not eligible for payroll under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)?
9. What are allowable uses of loan proceeds with a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan?
10. What are the loan term, interest rate, and fees for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan?
11. How is the forgiveness amount calculated under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)?
12. How do I get forgiveness on my Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan?
13. What happens after the forgiveness period for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan?
14. Can I get more than one Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan?
15. What kind of lender can I get a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan from?
16. How does the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan coordinate with Small Business Administration (SBA) existing loans?
17. How does the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan work with the temporary Emergency Economic Injury Grants and the Small Business Debt Relief program?
18. Still have questions? See our other CARES Act FAQs: