The Maryland Department of Commerce and the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development announced a third round of emergency relief funding will soon be used to assist local 501(c)(6) nonprofit associations that have been negatively impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Maryland. Applications will be available on the OneStop portal beginning Monday, Aug. 17 and will be accepted through Monday, Aug. 24 at 5 p.m.

Gov. Larry Hogan recently announced $50 million to establish the Maryland Nonprofit Recovery Initiative, which will help support a variety of nonprofit organizations throughout the state, with up to $8 million used to fund nonprofits that have already applied to Maryland Commerce’s Small Business COVID 19 Emergency Relief Grant Fund. The state is dedicating $1 million of the Emergency Relief Grant funds to launch a new application process for 501(c)(6) organizations, and will determine if additional available funding will be added further into the application process. Approved applicants can receive up to $10,000 in grant funding for quarterly operating expenses.

Unlike previous rounds of funding where applications were awarded on a first-come first-served basis, this round will also be scored and approved based on specific criteria established by Maryland Commerce.

Specific criteria include:

● Must have less than 50 employees.

● Must have and provide proof of at least one W-2 employee or a valid employer unemployment insurance number issued from the Maryland Department of Labor.

● Must have under $5 million in annual revenue.

● Must be registered and in good standing with SDAT.

● Must be registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(6).

● Must be established prior to March 9, 2020.

● Must be a Maryland based organization that represents businesses in the region they serve.

● Must not have already received a grant from any Maryland state government agencies COVID-19 relief.

To learn more, visit https://commerce.maryland.gov/fund/Pages/Maryland-COVID-19-Emergency-Relief-Grant-Fund-for-501C-6-Nonprofits.aspx?utm_source=Maryland+Department+of+Commerce+ percent28MAIN+LIST percent29&utm_campaign=97d9ccf474-Covid-19-non-profit-funding-news-08-06-20&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f78deb20ad-97d9ccf474-215304069