The North Carolina Department of Revenue received more than 23,000 applications for Phase 2 of the Business Recovery Grant (BRG) program that closed on June 1, 2022. This is approximately four times the number of applications submitted for Phase 1 of the BRG. Departmental staff is now working diligently to review and validate the applications.
BRG will issue a one-time payment to eligible North Carolina businesses that suffered an economic loss of at least 20 percent during the pandemic. BRG is funded by the federal American Rescue Plan. Eligibility for grants was expanded for Phase 2 of the BRG, which may account for the increase in applications. There is approximately $200 million remaining in grant funds from Phase 1.
Given the large number of applications to be reviewed and the administrative complexities involved in verifying and calculating award amounts, the Department is unable to give an exact timeline of when grant applicants can expect to be formally notified and checks are mailed to recipient businesses. An updated statement regarding a timeline will be issued next month.