SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Non-profit organizations across the Sacramento region received between $180.2 million and $439.4 million through the Paycheck Protection Program, according to the Small Business Administration.
The federal program was aimed to help small businesses in America stay afloat while most states went through months-long stay-at-home orders because of the coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. Department of Treasury said that the small business included in the program could be for eligible non-profit businesses.
Non-profits that were eligible hold the 501(c)3 distinction according to the Small Business Administration.
According to a count by ABC10 at least 90 religious organizations or religious schools received funds.
The Sacramento Catholic Diocese received between $2 million and $5 million in PPP loan funds.
Sacramento Catholic Diocese's spokesperson Bryan Visitacion told ABC10 that donations plunged between parishioners suffering financial hardships and churches not celebrating mass for months at the beginning of the pandemic.
"The PPP provided needed relief and an ability to keep employees on the job during this sudden downturn," Visitacion said in an email.
The Sacramento Diocese was able to retain 185 employees, according to SBA data. Individual parishes across the region also received their loan and kept several employees.
"Because of the loan assistance in meeting payroll, workers who provide key services in our communities were able to stay on the job," Visitacion said. "This includes teachers and staff at Catholic schools, staff at food banks, and workers who operate funeral and grief services."
Across the Sacramento region, 25,162 jobs with non-profit organizations were reported retained because of the PPP loans. A total of 389 non-profit organizations received a loan.
Sacramento region's non-profits which received PPP loan monies (Google Sheets version):
Read more from ABC10
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