The Sandoval County Board of Commissioners has added money to its CARES Grant pandemic relief program — now referred to as ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) — that was offered to local businesses last year. Pandemic-impacted businesses located in Sandoval County, including the City of Rio Rancho, towns of Bernalillo and Cuba, and Village of Corrales, may apply for a grant of up to $20,000.
Priority is being given to businesses that did not receive a grant last year from the county’s CARES Act Fund after the money was fully distributed. Many impacted businesses were left without aid when money from the fund ran out.
Businesses with costs that exceeded the $20,000 limit set during the county’s last round of CARES Act grants are also being given priority. Unlike the prior round, the program is open to applicants with requests that exceed the established $20,000 limit. These applications will be considered “extraordinary requests” and will require approval by the Board of County Commissioners.
ARPA funds can only be used to address the negative economic impacts caused by the public health emergency, which includes harm to small businesses and non-profits. This will be a continuation of what the CARES Act funding did for qualifying countywide businesses last year. ARPA funds may only be used to reimburse the costs of business interruption caused by required closures or reduced size of operations, provided those costs were not paid by insurance or by another federal, state, or local program.