Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church got $4.4 million in federal PPP loans [View all]
Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church is among the large local congregations that received multi-million dollar loans as part of the federal government’s COVID-19 stimulus package.
Lakewood received a $4.4 million loan through the Paycheck Protection Program, a part of the federal CARES Act that provided loans to pay employee wages or for other basic operational costs such as utilities.
The program marked the first time federal lawmakers allowed for direct financial assistance to houses of worship.
Lakewood officials said earlier this year that they had not applied for a loan through the PPP, and the church was not included on the list of recipients released by the Small Business Administration early in the summer. The SBA later reopened the program, and its most recent data shows that Lakewood’s loan was approved in mid-July.
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/religion/article/Joel-Osteen-s-Lakewood-Church-got-4-4M-in-15800887.php
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