Patrons curious about whether their favorite restaurant was awarded a grant from the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) can now access a database containing the names and amounts for all RRF grants approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
The SBA released the RRF information July 9 in a comma-separated values file that can be downloaded from this webpage. Nation’s Restaurant News reported that the file was released in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from the Independent Restaurant Coalition.
The RRF provided $28.6 billion to more than 100,000 restaurants, bars, and other businesses that provide on-site food and drink.
Congress created the RRF to provide relief to a sector of the economy especially hard-hit by government-imposed shutdowns and other restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Demand for the funds far outstripped the supply, with restaurants and other eligible businesses submitting more than 278,000 applications seeking more than $72.2 billion in funding, as of June 30.
Most of those applications were submitted in the first few days after the RRF application window opened May 3. Less than 10 days after the RRF’s launch, the SBA reported that it had received requests for more than twice the $28.6 billion Congress provided for grants.
At that time, the program looked likely to provide the vast majority of its funding to eligible businesses owned by women, veterans, and socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. The American Rescue Plan Act, P.L. 117-2, which created the RRF, mandated that those businesses, which submitted 147,000 applications totaling $29 billion in the program’s opening days, receive priority review for the first 21 days of the program.
The priority policy was challenged by lawsuits alleging that the policy discriminated against white men. Several judges ruled in favor of those claims, leading the SBA to stop processing applications from members of prioritized groups and to rescind some approvals already made.
In the end, restaurants and other eligible businesses owned by members of prioritized groups received about $18 billion in grants, with the remainder of the $28.6 billion awarded to eligible applicants not identified as part of an underserved group, the SBA said.
Under the RRF, food and beverage providers could apply for grants equal to their pandemic-related revenue loss, up to $10 million per business and no more than $5 million per physical location. The funds could be used for eligible expenses, such as payroll and rent.
The SBA said it would keep the RRF application platform open through today (July 14) to allow applicants to check their status, address payment corrections, or ask questions.
AICPA members can access a detailed summary of the RRF.
AICPA experts discuss the latest on the PPP and other small business aid programs during a virtual town hall held every other week. The webcasts, which provide CPE credit, are free to AICPA members and $39 for nonmembers. Go to the AICPA Town Hall Series webpage for more information and to register. Recordings of Town Hall events are available to view for free on AICPA TV.
The AICPA’s Paycheck Protection Program Resources page houses resources and tools produced by the AICPA to help address the economic impact of the coronavirus.
For more news and reporting on the coronavirus and how CPAs can handle challenges related to the outbreak, visit the JofA’s coronavirus resources page or subscribe to our email alerts for breaking PPP news.
— Jeff Drew (Jeff.Drew@aicpa-cima.com) is a JofA senior editor.
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