Introduction

On September 23, 2021 the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced the availability of block grants to coastal states and territories to assist in providing relief to seafood processors who incurred costs associated with implementing COVID-19 pandemic safety measures. Each state’s funding amount was determined by the USDA AMS using the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 2019 landings data. For New Jersey the total award amount is $826,807.

The State of New Jersey Project Partners- NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), NJ Department of Agriculture (NJDA), and NJ Department of Health (NJDOH)- submitted their application for funding on November 17, 2021 to create the New Jersey Seafood Processor COVID-19 Assistance Program and received notice the grant award notice on January 25, 2022.

Seafood processors, dealers, and seafood processing vessels may receive funding to reimburse expenses incurred between January 27, 2020 and December 31, 2021. Applicants must have held all required valid licenses and permits to operate as a seafood processor and/or dealer within the USDA AMS dictated timeframe to be eligible for reimbursement.

Eligible activities for reimbursement include:

• workplace safety measures,
• retrofitting facilities for worker and consumer safety,
• market pivots, and
• medical costs associated with providing or purchasing COVID-19 testing.

These eligible activities were selected from the USDA AMS list of six categories based on outreach to New Jersey processors which showed that these were the most widely funded by industry participants and would therefore maximize the program’s benefit.

Current Status

The application period has closed.

Notice of Funding information

Subscribe to the Marine Fisheries Grants & Assistance email list to receive notice of updated information via email.

For additional information, please see the Frequently Asked Questions.

For questions or concerns related to this funding opportunity, please contact njfisheriesaid@njdepwptest.net or call 609-748-2020.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Who are the eligible beneficiaries for these funds?

The State-licensed seafood processing facilities and processing vessels, including at-sea processors or dealers. Each processing facility or vessel may apply separately for funding. Processors may only apply once for each location or vessel. Processor means the owner, operator, dealer, or agent responsible for any activity that changes the physical condition of a fisheries resource suitable for human consumption, retail sale, industrial uses, or long-term storage, including cooking, canning, smoking, salting, drying, shucking, filleting, freezing, or rendering into meal or oil. Any owner, operator, dealer, or agent exclusively gutting, gilling, heading, or icing seafood without performing any of the above activities is not considered a processor. At-sea processor means a vessel or other platform that floats and can be moved from one location to another, whether in State waters or water of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ), receiving fish and operating as a processor. Dealer means an entity that first receives fish by way of purchase and sells directly to restaurants, markets, other dealers, processors, or consumers without substantially altering the product.

2. What kinds of activities are eligible for grant funds?

Grants will cover the following outcomes and activities: Workplace Safety Measures: Workplace safety measures, including, but not limited to, personal protective equipment, sanitizer, hand washing stations, air filters, thermometers, cleaning supplies, or similar items. Market Pivots: Market pivots such as transition to virtual/online sales costs (online platform development and fees, online marketing, credit card processing fees), supplies, new signage. Retrofitting Facilities: Retrofitting facilities for worker and consumer safety (retrofitting harvester vessels for onboard vessel processing to maximize open-air activities, plexiglass, walk up windows, heat lamps, fans, tents, propane, weights, tables, chairs). Transportation: Additional transportation costs incurred to maintain social distancing. Worker Housing: Additional worker housing costs incurred to maintain social distancing or to allow for quarantining of new or exposed employees. Medical: Unreimbursed costs associated with providing or enabling vaccinations, testing, or healthcare treatment of infected employees, including any paid leave.

3. Is there cost sharing or matching funds required?

No cost sharing or matching funds are required. All SPRS awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the SPRS General Terms and Conditions.

4. If I am a company incorporated in another state but have facilities in New Jersey, do I apply for funds only from the other state that I am incorporated, or do I apply for funds in New Jersey State where my facilities are located?

If you are eligible entities, you should apply to New Jersey State, where your facilities are physically located.

5. Can a seafood processor request funding for lost revenue under the NJ Seafood Processor COVID-19 Assistance Program Grant?

No. The NJ Seafood Processor COVID-19 Assistance Program grant has been created with the funds received from the Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety (SPRS) Block Grant program. SPRS is authorized under section 751 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (Pub. L. No. 116-260) to provide grants and loans to seafood processors and processing vessels for costs incurred in response to the coronavirus pandemic, including for measures to protect workers against novel coronavirus (COVID–19). As authorized by the CAA and outlined in the SPRS Request for Applications (RFA), SPRS funds will be used for costs incurred in response to COVID-19. The approved eligible categories are: Workplace Safety Measures, Market Pivots, Retrofitting Facilities, Transportation, Worker Housing and Medical. For example, the eligible entity could apply for funds to reimburse costs associated with an employee’s paid sick leave or worker housing for quarantine due to COVID. However, lost revenue due to spoilage or foregone production would not be eligible for reimbursement under the SPRS Grant.

Application Process

6. How do I apply for New Jersey’s Seafood Processor COVID-19 Assistance Program funding?

Before your organization can apply for this grant, there are several steps an organization must complete. The applicant organization registration process can take up to a few days to complete due to registration in https://njdepsage.intelligrants.com as applicants need to be manually approved. Therefore, complete your registration allowing enough time to ensure it does not impact your ability to meet required application submission deadlines. You can register now. Applicants must follow the Registration Instructions on NJDEP SAGE’s login page at https://njdepsage.intelligrants.com. An email will be sent to you when you have been accepted into the system. Once logged in, you can navigate to the Training Materials link where an authorized official manual and a webinar is available for help. If you have any questions regarding NJDEP SAGE, please contact njfisheriesaid@njdepwptest.net. NJDEP SAGE First Time Users Quick Reference Guide The application to receive funding through NJ’s Seafood Processor COVID-19 Assistance Program is now available. You can also subscribe to the Marine Fisheries Grants & Assistance E-mail list to receive notice of updated information.

7. How long does the application process take between submission and receiving funding?

Applications will be reviewed and approved on a rolling basis. Awards are based on the total losses of all approved applicants. Therefore, award amounts will not be determined until all applications have been received, reviewed, and appeals processed. It is currently estimated that grant award payments will be made within 4 weeks after the application closing date.

Review Process and Applicant Notifications

8. What happens after I submit my application?

Applications that meet the selection criteria will be deemed eligible for funding consideration. If an application requires more information or if a reviewer has any questions, they will reach out directly to the applicant for clarification or to provide additional information. Funding will be awarded after the close of the application and review periods. If an application is approved for funding, NJDEP will send a Notice of Award to the application point of contact, using a secure link sent via email.

9. What are the selection criteria?

Each application is reviewed using the following criteria: * The application was submitted and received by NJDEP before the application deadline. * The applicant is an eligible entity. * Applicant must be the owner of the business applying for funding. * The processing facility, dealer, or processing vessel must be located or home ported in New Jersey. * The business must have held a valid New Jersey Department of Health (NJDH) license to operate a wholesale food business for all months that the business existed between January 27, 2020 and December 31, 2020. * If processing and dealing federally managed species, the business must have held a valid Federal Dealers Permit for all months that the business existed between January 27, 2020 and December 31, 2021. * If dealing species that required a NJ Dealers permit, the business must have held all valid and necessary New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Fish and Wildlife Program (NJFW) dealer permits for all months that the business existed between January 27, 2020 and December 31, 2021. The species requiring a NJFW dealers permit are summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, and menhaden. * If handling oysters, clams, and/or mussels, the business must have held a valid NJDOH certificate to handle oysters, clams, or mussels for all months that the business existed between January 27, 2020 and December 31, 2021. * If the business applying for funding harvests finfish or shellfish species within New Jersey State Waters, the business must have held a valid NJFW Commercial Harvesting or Shellfishing license for all months that the business existed between January 27, 2020 and December 31, 2021. * The required forms are complete and accurate. * Applicants must sign an affidavit stating that all the information in their application is correct and that they understand that they are subject to additional review and audit. * If additional documentation or information is requested of the applicant, the applicant must provide the information or documentation in order to be eligible for funding. If the applicant refuses to provide documented proof or is found to have knowingly acted in bad-faith and provided falsified or inaccurate information, they will be denied assistance.

10. What kind of documentation will need to be provided in the application?

Applicants will provide an itemized breakdown of all expenses for which they are applying for reimbursement within each of the 4 different reimbursement categories. Each line item has an upload section and applicants must upload a receipt for each line. Providing supporting documentation for each cost for reimbursement is required for submission. If line items are all on one receipt, you will need to upload a duplicate copy of the corresponding receipt for each line.

11. What are the recordkeeping requirements for grant recipients?

For this grant, recipients should maintain sufficient records and documentation to demonstrate that costs were incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the eligible expense categories as attested to in your application. During the initial review of your application or during the auditing phase of the applications, you may be requested to provide additional documentation as proof that the information you provided in your application is accurate. The applicant must be able to provide documented proof if it is requested. If documented proof is not provided or shows that the information in the application is inaccurate, the applicant may be denied funding or be required to pay back funding that was received, either in part or in full. Grant recipients are required to maintain all records pertaining to the grant for a period of 3 years after the final financial report, as described in the Notice of Award, in accordance with Federal recordkeeping regulations. This requirement is provided in 2 CFR § 200.334 and the general award terms and conditions, which are available on the USDA PRS Application Portal.