SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Director Jeffrey Lusk of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Disaster Field Operations Center-West today reminded small nonfarm businesses in all 58 California counties and neighboring counties in Arizona, Nevada and Oregon of the Nov. 17, 2023, deadline to apply for an SBA federal disaster loan for economic injury. These low-interest loans are to offset economic losses because of reduced revenues caused by drought in the following primary counties that began Oct. 1, 2022.
Primary California counties: Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Riverside, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Ventura, Yolo and Yuba;
Neighboring California counties: Del Norte, Imperial, Orange and San Diego;
Neighboring Arizona counties: La Paz and Mohave;
Neighboring Nevada counties: Carson City, Clark, Douglas, Esmeralda, Lyon, Mineral, Nye and Washoe;
Neighboring Oregon counties: Jackson, Josephine, Klamath and Lake.
According to Lusk, small nonfarm businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations of any size may apply for Economic Injury Disaster Loans of up to $2 million to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. “Economic Injury Disaster Loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that cannot be paid because of the disaster’s impact,” said Lusk.
“SBA eligibility covers both the economic impacts on businesses dependent on farmers and ranchers that have suffered agricultural production losses caused by the disaster and businesses directly impacted by the disaster. Economic injury assistance is available regardless of whether the applicant suffered any property damage,” Lusk added.
The interest rate is 3.04 percent for businesses and 1.875 percent for private nonprofit organizations with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition.
Interest does not begin to accrue until 12 months form the date of the initial disaster loan disbursement. SBA disaster loan repayment begins 12 months from the date of the first disbursement.
By law, SBA makes Economic Injury Disaster Loans available when the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture designates an agricultural disaster in a declared county (or other political jurisdiction). The Secretary declared this disaster on March 17.
Businesses that can demonstrate economic injury as a direct result of drought conditions in these declared counties are eligible for disaster assistance.
Businesses primarily engaged in farming or ranching are not eligible for SBA disaster assistance. Agricultural enterprises should contact the Farm Services Agency about the U.S. Department of Agriculture assistance made available by the Secretary’s declaration. However, nurseries are eligible for SBA disaster assistance in drought disasters. Businesses primarily engaged in Aquaculture may be eligible for this declaration.
Aquaculture is defined as the propagation and rearing of aquatic organisms in controlled or selected aquatic environments for any commercial, recreational, or public purpose (as defined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). Aquaculture enterprises fall under NAICS codes 112511 - Finfish Farming and Fish Hatcheries; 112512 - Shellfish Farming; 112519 - Other Aquaculture (animal organisms, e.g. turtles, frogs, alligators); and 111998 - Other Miscellaneous Crop Farming (plant organisms, e.g. algae, seaweed). Eligible aquaculture can take place in a natural or manmade environment and can involve both marine and freshwater species.
Applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information and download applications at https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services. Completed applications should be mailed to U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.