Rockland Starts 2 New Grant Programs With Federal Pandemic Funds

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY — To support both local businesses and green spaces, Rockland County officials have launched two new grant programs.

The programs will use $7 million of American Rescue Plan Act funds, Rockland County Executive Ed Day, County Legislature Chairman Jay Hood Jr., and County Legislature Minority Leader Lon Hofstein said in the announcement.

A report done last year by the State Comptroller found that 4 out of 5 small businesses in New York continue to report negative economic impacts caused by the pandemic, they said.

To help local small businesses, the Rockland Small Business Rescue Grant Program has been allocated $2 million to reimburse small businesses between $5,000 and $50,000 for eligible expenses incurred during, and related to, the COVID-19 pandemic. This grant is for Rockland County-based, privately-owned, micro-businesses, small businesses, enterprises, or sole proprietorships, that offer fee-based goods or services and have fewer than 500 employees and annual revenues up to $1 million.

Eligible businesses include, but are not limited to, Indoor Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation, Pet Grooming, Boarding, and Walking, Restaurants, Eateries, Food Stands and Food Trucks, Bars, Bakeries, Cafes, Breweries/Wineries Catering, Delis, etc., Bookstore/Stationary, Housekeeping, Fitness Centers, Florists, General Retail, Salons/Spas, Bicycle shops, Other Consumer Service Firms (i.e., Architectural, Design, Marketing).

Eligible expenses include, but are not limited to:

• Commercial/Retail Rent (up to 3 months)
• Safety Investments (Including PPE, Cleaning Supplies, UV Cleaning Supplies/Services)
• Hardware Fees
• Software Fees
• Marketing Fees (advertising and promotion)
• Credit Card Processing Fees (difference of increase from 2021 to 2022)
• Supplies (operational items)

Not eligible: non-profits, churches and other religious institutions, landlords and property management businesses, franchises, government-contracted agencies, businesses engaged in political or lobbying activities, plus businesses that received more than $300,000 in PPP funds, SBA Grants, NYS Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Funds, or NYS Bar Restaurant Recovery Grant Funds.

Because the pandemic also highlighted the importance of urban green spaces, that's the focus of the second grant program. When many indoor recreation activities were restricted, residents throughout Rockland chose to spend their time in outdoor areas that remained accessible, officials said. Nationally, residents who utilized urban green spaces reported better health outcomes during the pandemic than those who rarely went outside.

The Rockland Resilient Recreation Grant Program will award municipalities and non-profits between $5,000 up to $200,000 for investments in public urban green spaces, with the total grant program utilizing up to $5 million in ARPA Funds.

Eligible Entities:

• Rockland County Municipalities
• Rockland County Nonprofits

Projects include but are not limited to:

• Active Parks
• Passive Parks (Gardens, open play areas, picnic areas, sitting areas, etc.)
• Playgrounds
• Paths to Connect Existing Green Spaces
• Community Food Gardens
• Multi-Use Green Infrastructure (Stormwater basins, rain gardens, etc.)
• Community beautification projects
• Mini-Forests

"These two programs will help ensure Rockland’s recovery stays on track," said County Executive Ed Day.

County Legislature Chairman Jay Hood Jr. promised to use every single dollar of American Rescue Plan Act funds to help Rockland recover from the first two years of the pandemic.

"It is our job as elected officials to help in any way we can and believe these new grants will do just that by strengthening the fiscal and physical health of County residents," County Legislature Minority Leader Lon Hofstein said.