The Newark Emergency Small Business Grant Fund was created in March 2020 at the start of the pandemic to support the city's impacted enterprises. The program's latest round, its fourth, offers up to $15,000 for eligible companies.

The initiative, part of the American Rescue Plan, will engage with community organizations to aid small businesses around the country during recovery, with a priority on those owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, women and veterans.

Companies are turning their attention toward a duo of Biden-era COVID-relief programs: one for restaurants and another for theaters and other live performance venues.

With the closures in recent years of many retail book outlets, the owners and operators of Asbury Book Cooperative strive to provide a location for customers who love to browse among shelves and tables full of their favorite hardcovers and paperbacks.

The initiative from the New Jersey Business Action Center will cover topics including financial resources, technical assistance, tips for obtaining government contracts, COVID-19 safety protocols and resources for nonprofits.

The state assistance is meant to help employers that have taken financial hits due to the slew of business closures and other public health restrictions amid the pandemic.

Cooperative Business Assistance Corp., a community development financial institution in Camden, received funding to help underserved small businesses stay open and preserve jobs.