Schumer commits to expanding PPP eligibility for larger nonprofits, political advocacy orgs

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer on Friday said he would work to expand the Paycheck Protection Program to nonprofits with more than 500 employees in future COVID relief legislation.

“We’ve got to get that in the bill, and we’re going to try to make it retroactive,” he said during a virtual briefing hosted by Nonprofit New York, the New York Council of Nonprofits and the National Council of Nonprofits. He also committed to expanding eligibility to other tax-exempt organizations that currently don’t qualify, such as advocacy organizations registered as 501(c)(4)s.

These priorities mirror provisions included in legislation that was passed by House Democrats last year but failed to pass through a Republican-controlled Senate. But now, with Democrats retaining slim control of the Senate and President Joe Biden in office, such efforts would be likelier to pass.

Schumer also supported covering 100% of unemployment costs incurred by nonprofit employers that chose to reimburse those payments instead of paying unemployment taxes. These self-insured nonprofits currently pay 50% of those costs ever since the passage of the CARES Act last year. “You can’t afford this during this time,” he said.