Entrepreneurs for whom corona aid was previously out of the question for a wide variety of reasons can now apply for funding from the hardship fund. A total of 38.36 million euros are available for the Hamburg economy. 19.18 million euros of this comes from the federal government, the other half from the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. The Senate gave the green light for the financing two weeks ago. The application process, which should start in mid-May, has now been set. Applications can be submitted from mid-May to September 30, 2021 at www.haertefallhilfen.de and under www.ifbhh.de possible.
Michael Westhagemann, Senator for Economy and Innovation: “Together with the federal government, we have put together a package with which we also want to support those who have unfortunately received nothing so far. I am very pleased that we can start with the applications in the coming days so that the companies, organizations and self-employed persons concerned can get the money they urgently need. Because although Hamburg, in line with federal measures, has launched various tailor-made aids in the course of the past year, there have always been cases that have fallen through the cracks. These are hardships that we want to alleviate in a case-by-case examination. More than 38 million euros are now available for this and can be applied for this month. “
Dr. Andreas Dressel, Senator for Finance: “Many have been waiting for this help, and we have made almost 40 million euros available for it. We fought hard to ensure that there was a well-equipped hardship fund and a pragmatic hardship regulation for companies and self-employed people in Hamburg. Sometimes we do this in cooperation with other countries, sometimes we make a comprehensive extra offer – specifically for self-employed people who we know have been particularly hard hit by the Corona crisis. In Hamburg, self-employed individuals can apply for hardship aid either directly or with the help of so-called “third-party auditors”, such as tax advisors. The really exemplary direct application option means a great deal of relief for many of those affected, because additional costs can be saved, especially with small application volumes. If the provided money is not enough for the hardship cases, we will top it up from the Hamburg budget. Every recognized case of hardship should receive the help it is entitled to under this program. “
Dr. Carsten Brosda, Senator for Culture and Media: “Hamburg initiated extensive corona aid very early on. It has proven itself that we in the Senate have developed aid across departments. Especially in the field of artists and in the creative industries, there are numerous self-employed individuals for whom we need flexible application procedures. With the hardship fund, there is now an additional aid package with which we can help individually. We will continue to keep an eye on the entire cultural and creative scene in all its diversity in order to get Hamburg through the crisis as well as possible. Because it is precisely these creative scenes that we need if we want to maintain the city’s cultural and economic attractiveness. ”
Ralf Sommer, CEO of the Hamburg Investment and Development Bank: “With our Corona-related funding programs, consisting of grant, loan and participation programs as well as the bridging aid from the federal government, we have already approved over 100,000 applications for self-employed people and companies in the Hanseatic city and thus have more than 1.5 billion euros in funding available posed. Via the Hamburg Corona hardship aid, we now also provide support for self-employed people and companies that were previously not eligible for funding under the federal funding conditions and might have fallen through the “network”.
Who is the hardship aid for?
In special case constellations it may happen that the existing aid programs (November and December aid, bridging aid II and III as well as the restart aid) have not yet been able to take effect. Companies (sole proprietorships or corporate associations) as well as self-employed persons and self-employed members of the liberal professions in all industries are generally eligible to apply for hardship aid. The company must have its headquarters in Hamburg and be under the jurisdiction of a Hamburg tax office. There must be an economic threat to existence that can be traced back to pandemic-related hardship.
In the next few days, the funding guidelines and the FAQs will be published on the above-mentioned pages. There, as well as in the application form for solo self-employed, the exact application conditions are described.
What amount can be requested?
Self-employed persons can submit a direct application up to a funding amount of 7,500 euros, whereby the funding amounts to a maximum of 50 percent of the reference turnover. For all other companies and self-employed individuals with higher funding needs, the grant is usually limited to a total of 100,000 euros. In this case, the application is made analogous to the existing assistance via an auditing third party. In any case, the applicable state aid restrictions must be observed.
Inquiries from the media
Authority for Economy and Innovation
Christian Füldner | Press office
Telephone: 040 42841 1326
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @HH_BWI / Instagram: @hh_bwi
Tax authority
Imme Mäder | Press officer
Telephone: 040 42823 1662
Email: [email protected]
Follow us on Twitter: @FHH_FB
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