Financial Resources for Educators and Programs

During the COVID-19 health crisis, many are also experiencing financial crisis due to program closures and layoffs. This page provides information about financial resources, benefits, programs, and grants that individual people or programs may want to pursue.

Funding for Individuals or Families

Maryland Unemployment Insurance Has Been Expanded

If you have been laid off or have closed your child care business, you should be eligible for unemployment benefits. As part of the federal stimulus bill (CARES Act), Unemployment Insurance has been expanded to include Independent Contractors and the Self-Employed. This is important especially for family child care providers who have had to close due to Coronavirus.

Unemployment insurance payment amounts have also been increased, the number of weeks of benefits is extended, and it can be taken if the worker was part-time employed or is home due to lack of child care, or caring for a sick family member. Visit the Maryland Dept of Labor UI page for more information.

If you are newly eligible for a COVID-19-related expansion of Unemployment Insurance, the Labor Dept is not yet ready to process your application. You can sign up on their web page to be notified when that new application is available. It appears that they will provide benefits based on the date you stopped working, even if it takes them some time to process your application. Read the FAQs for Unemployment Insurance under new CARES Act here.

Loans and Grants for Small Businesses

The Small Business Association Paycheck Protection Program allows small businesses to apply for loans to provide payroll for their staff during the COVID-19 crisis. According to the SBA, they will forgive the loan, converting it to a grant, if all employees are kept on the payroll for eight weeks and the money is used for payroll, rent, mortgage interest, or utilities. This program is available through June 30, 2020.

The program is available for any small businesses with less than 500 employees, including sole proprietorships, independent contractors and self-employed persons, private non-profit organizations or veterans organizations affected by COVID-19. These eligibility criteria include for-profit and non-profit child care centers and family child care providers.

For more information on PPP Loans from the SBA:

Small Business Administration (SBA) Loans Immediately Available to Child Care Providers, by First Five Years Fund, 4/3/20 blog post.
- One critically important tip from FFYF is to Apply Right Away: It is estimated that 39 million entities are eligible for the PPP. If your organization is eligible and interested, it is important to apply right away. It is expected that these loans will be oversubscribed, and loans will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Log in with Maryland Nonprofits to gain access to the recorded audio call hosted by Maryland Nonprofits with Senators Van Hollen and Cardin about the CARES Act and SBA loans.
Review the Webinars offered the week of April 6th in our Webinar section, below.

Grants for Nonprofits or Businesses

COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund

The Greater Washington Community Foundation is accepting proposals from eligible nonprofits and will be making rapid response grants from this fund on a weekly basis. The Community Foundation established the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund to support emergency preparedness and response efforts that will help mitigate the impact on disproportionately affected communities in our region. Through this fund, we are focused on addressing lost wages, relief for small business and gig economy workers, expanding access to medical services, and meeting the unique needs of people experiencing homelessness, among other needs.

Verizon Small Business Recovery Fund

The Local Initiatives Support Corporation is partnering with Verizon and is offering the Verizon Small Business Recovery Fund, which provides grants to small businesses, including child care, to help them get through the Coronavirus pandemic economic challenges. The first round of grant applications are due April 4, 2020. Applications are also being accepted for a second round of grants.

Maryland Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant and Loan Program – due April 7.

As of 5 p.m. on April 6, the Maryland Department of Commerce is no longer accepting new applications for its Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant and Loan Programs. All applications that have been submitted are currently being reviewed in the order received. If you have already started an application, it must be completed and submitted by 5 p.m. on April 7, 2020 in order to be considered. Maryland Coronavirus Information for Businesses page.

Webinars on Funding For Programs and Providers

Join a Webinar on Monday, April 6 at 2:00 pm by Maryland Nonprofits about SBA loans and grants: How Your Nonprofit Can Utilize the Paycheck Protection Program. (This webinar is free for members of Maryland Nonprofits and Nonprofit Development Center participants. It is available on a sliding scale of $15, $10, or $1 for Non-Members.)

NAEYC is hosting two webinars on Paying Your Staff and Your Bills: Helping Child Care Programs Understand and Navigate the Options.

Webinar in English: Thursday, April 9 at 4:30 pm ET, to help child care programs across states and settings understand and navigate through the SBA loan processes, and some of the ways they intersect with things like unemployment insurance and paid leave. We will post a link when it becomes available.
Webinar in Spanish: Friday, April 10 at 4:30 pm ET, covering the same content as above.