The New Jersey Economic Development Authority announced Monday that New Jersey businesses with 100 or fewer full-time equivalent employees will be able to receive discounts of nearly 70% off purchases of personal protective equipment through the NJ Small and Micro Business PPE Access Program until May 28 — or until the program funds are exhausted.
Small businesses and organizations interested in receiving these discounts must apply here directly.
Businesses that have already been approved do not need to reapply, but any discounts they have used previously will be counted toward the total program cap.
The NJEDA launched the NJ Small and Micro Business PPE Access Program in late 2020 in response to consistent concerns emerging from Gov. Phil Murphy’s Restart and Recovery Commission. The nine sector-based committees of the governor’s advisory council, along with input from numerous small businesses, indicated the need for readily available, fairly priced PPE.
During Phase 1 of the program, the EDA identified and vetted “Designated Vendors,” including Boxed, Office Depot and Staples, who have partnered with the state to create “microsites” where New Jersey-based businesses can purchase a curated selection of PPE products with at least a 10% discount.
The NJEDA also collaborated with the New Jersey Department of Health to create an online PPE Planning Tool that helps businesses understand PPE product requirements and estimate their organizational PPE needs. Links to the Designated Vendor microsites and the PPE Planning Tool are available here.
Additional discounts of 65% are available to businesses and nonprofits with 100 or fewer employees that make purchases from Staples or Office Depot. These discounts are available in addition to the 10% discounts available to all businesses, so businesses are able to receive nearly 70% off PPE purchases.
Expanded discounts are capped at $800 for all eligible businesses or $1,000 for businesses located in one of New Jersey’s 715 census tracts that were eligible to be designated as Opportunity Zones. To date, more than 10,000 businesses have been approved for more than $9 million in discounts.
Small businesses and organizations interested in receiving these additional discounts must apply here.
Once the NJEDA has confirmed a business’s eligibility, the business owner will receive vouchers for purchases from a Designated Vendor of their choice.
Vouchers will expire at midnight May 28.
