Office of InnovationEmergency Assistance Eligibility Wizard
The Emergency Assistance Eligibility Wizard was an online tool that helped New Jersey businesses find and apply for newly created State and federal pandemic relief programs.
Challenge
The COVID-19 pandemic presented significant financial challenges to most companies and nonprofits across the Garden State. To help these organizations survive, the State and federal government launched numerous emergency assistance programs - each of which had different eligibility requirements and benefits. There was no centralized way to quickly determine which programs could help a specific business or organization.
Innovation In Action
To make it easy for organizations to understand which support programs were available to them and encourage uptake, OOI created an online tool that automatically checked their eligibility for nearly 20 programs. By answering a few simple questions, users received a personalized list of all the programs they were eligible for and how to apply for them. In order to ensure that the tool met the needs of businesses, the tool was created in partnership with businesses that provided feedback on the design and content.
Impact + Metrics
- The Emergency Assistance Eligibility Wizard was used more than 210,000 times by more than 140,000 users.
Status
- The tool is no longer actively in use as many of the emergency relief programs have sunsetted. The Business.NJ.gov Account now provides much of this tool’s functionality.
Resources and Additional Information
- Politico: New Jersey ranks 3rd in distributing grants to small business
- Jersey’s Best: N.J. small businesses revamp and reinvent to keep doors open during crisis
Partners
- NJ Economic Development Authority
Last updated on 5/1/24
