TRUCKEE, Calif. – Low-interest federal disaster loans are available to certain private nonprofits in several California counties, including Nevada and Placer counties.

Following the amendment to President Biden’s Jan. 26 major disaster declaration, certain nonprofits can apply for public assistance for major disasters such severe winter storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides that occurred Dec. 27, 2022 – Jan. 31, 2023, announced Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Private nonprofits that provide essential services of a governmental nature are eligible for assistance.

These low-interest federal disaster loans are available in Alameda, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Inyo, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, San Benito, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Ventura and Yolo counties in California.

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“Private nonprofit organizations should contact the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services Recovery Section by emailing disasterrecovery@caloes.ca.gov to obtain information about applicant briefings. At the briefings, private nonprofit representatives will need to provide information about their organization,” said Director Tanya Garfield of SBA’s disaster field operations center-west. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will use that information to determine if the private nonprofit provides an ‘essential governmental service’ and is a ‘critical facility’ as defined by law. If so, FEMA may provide the private nonprofit with a public assistance grant for their eligible costs. If not, FEMA may refer the private nonprofit to SBA for disaster loan assistance.

SBA may lend private nonprofits up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other business assets. SBA can also lend additional funds to help with the cost of improvements to protect, prevent or minimize the same type of disaster damage from occurring in the future.

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For certain private nonprofit organizations of any size, SBA also offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. Economic Injury Disaster Loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that cannot be paid because of the disaster’s impact. Economic injury assistance is available regardless of whether the private nonprofit suffered any property damage.

The interest rate is 2.375% with terms up to 30 years. The deadline to apply for property damage is March 27. The deadline to apply for economic injury is Oct. 26.

Applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information and download applications at https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services. Completed applications should be mailed to U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX  76155.