FLOOD RECOVERY RESOURCES

The Department of Economic Development has created the Business Emergency Gap Assistance Program (BEGAP). The application portal is open.

This $20 million grant program is for businesses and nonprofits that suffered physical damages from flooding dating back to July 7, 2023. Applications will be approved on a rolling basis until all funds are expended. 

The Department of Economic Development recently held a webinar to discuss BEGAP. 

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is offering disaster assistance to businesses & residents of Vermont following the announcement of a Presidential disaster declaration due to damages from severe storms and flooding that began on July 7. Visit disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/ela/s/ or call 1-800-659-2955 to learn more.

Low-interest loans are available to Vermonters for:

Physical Damage to Business: Loan of up to $2 million to qualified businesses or most private nonprofit organizations

Economic (non-physical) Damage Assistance: Eligible small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, and most private nonprofit organizations could receive additional support for non-physical damage.

If you are applying for an SBA loan for physical property damage, the deadline is September 12, 2023.  Applications for economic injury loans are due April 15, 2024.

SBA Business Recovery Centers are opening for Customer Service Representatives to assist business owners and residents in filling out a disaster loan application, accept documents for existing applications, and provide updates on an application’s status.

Centers will operate as indicated below until further notice:

Business Recovery Center – Windsor County
Engel & Völkers Okemo Building
126 Main Street
Ludlow, VT 05149
Hours: Monday to Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Business Recovery Center – Washington County
Vermont Chamber of Commerce
751 Granger Road
Berlin, VT 05641
Hours: Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Closed: Sunday

Business Recovery Center - Lamoille County
The Lamoille County Agriculture Building
29 Sunset Drive
Morrisville, VT 05661
Hours: Monday to Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Vermont Main Street Flood Recovery Fund is providing grants of up to $2,500 to cover costs such as equipment replacement, operating expenses, supplies, help with clean-up, etc. To apply for funds, Vermonters must complete the application. If your application is approved, you can expect to receive a check within 2 weeks.

Additional information about the fund is available here. 

To aid Vermont-based local restaurants in recovery, DoorDash and Hello Alice have partnered to create the Restaurant Disaster Relief Fund. The fund will provide $10,000 cash grants to at least 100 local restaurants affected by state and federally declared natural disasters until October of next year.

Eligible restaurants can apply fo $10,000 grants at doordash.helloalice.com. Applications will be processed every three months, with funding distributed for grant awardees shortly thereafter.

The Realtors® Relief Foundation (RRF), a charitable, non-profit arm of the National Association of Realtors®, has awarded a $500 thousand grant to the Vermont Association of Realtors® to aid Vermonters who have been impacted by recent floods. 

RRF funds will be made available to eligible applicants on a first-come, first-served basis to help with homeownership-related challenges. Successful applicants should receive RRF funding within four weeks.

To apply for funding, download the PDF application. For questions, please email floodrelief@vermontrealtors.com, more information is available, here.