SBA Disaster Assistance Available to Colorado Private, Nonprofit Organizations

Low-interest federal disaster loans are now available to certain private, nonprofit organizations (PNPs) in Colorado, following President Obama’s federal disaster declaration for Public Assistance (PA) as a result of severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides that began on September 11, 2013, announced Jeanne Hulit, Acting Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration. PNPs that provide essential services of a governmental nature are eligible for assistance.

SBA disaster assistance is now available in the Colorado counties of Boulder and Larimer.

PNP organizations should contact the Colorado Office of Emergency Management online at http://coemergency.com or contact Kenneth Brink at Kenneth.brink@state.co.us to obtain information about local briefings. At the briefings, PNP representatives will need to provide information about their organization,” said Alfred E. Judd, Director of SBA’s Disaster Field Operations Center-West. FEMA will use that information to determine if the PNP provides an “essential governmental service” and is a “critical facility” as defined by law. If so, FEMA may provide the PNP with a Public Assistance grant for their eligible costs. If not, FEMA may refer the PNP to SBA for disaster loan assistance.

SBA may lend PNPs up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets. SBA can also lend additional funds to help with the cost of making improvements that protect, prevent or minimize the same type of disaster damage from occurring in the future.

For certain private, nonprofit organizations of any size, SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. EIDLs may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that cannot be paid because of the disaster’s impact. EIDL assistance is available regardless of whether the nonprofit suffered any property damage.

The interest rate is 2.875 percent with terms up to 30 years. The filing deadline to return applications for property damage is November 25, 2013. The deadline to return economic injury applications is June 24, 2014.

Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure Web site at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.

Disaster loan information and application forms are also available from SBA’s Customer Service Center by calling (800) 659-2955 or e-mailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Individuals who are deaf or hard‑of‑hearing may call (800) 877-8339. For more information about SBA’s disaster assistance programs, visit http://www.sba.gov/disaster.