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COVID-19 Resources for Small Businesses: We Are All In This Together

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We are living in an unprecedented time and with operational regulations constantly changing, we want to assure our community that we are here to support you and we are in this together. As communities are mitigating shutdowns to stop the spread of COVID-19 and small businesses are dealing with disruptions to their supply chain, we want to provide you with resources designed to assist small businesses through this difficult time. 

U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering designated states and territories low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Upon a request received from a state’s or territory’s Governor, SBA will issue under its own authority, as provided by the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act that was recently signed by the President, an Economic Injury Disaster Loan declaration.

Any such Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance declaration issued by the SBA makes loans available statewide to small businesses and private, non-profit organizations to help alleviate economic injury caused by the Coronavirus (COVID-19). This will apply to current and future disaster assistance declarations related to Coronavirus.

  • SBA’s Office of Disaster Assistance will coordinate with the state’s or territory’s Governor to submit the request for Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance.
  • Once a declaration is made, the information on the application process for Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance will be made available to affected small businesses within the state.
  • SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans offer up to $2 million in assistance and can provide vital economic support to small businesses to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue they are experiencing.
  • These loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the disaster’s impact. The interest rate is 3.75% for small businesses. The interest rate for non-profits is 2.75%.
  • SBA offers loans with long-term repayments in order to keep payments affordable, up to a maximum of 30 years. Terms are determined on a case-by-case basis, based upon each borrower’s ability to repay.
  • SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans are just one piece of the expanded focus of the federal government’s coordinated response, and the SBA is strongly committed to providing the most effective and customer-focused response possible.

For questions, please contact the SBA disaster assistance customer service center at 1-800-659-2955 (TTY: 1-800-877-8339) or e-mail  disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

Find the current areas eligible for SBA disaster loans here.

Facebook

Facebook has created a $100 million grant program for small businesses. Applications have not opened yet, but they’ll begin taking applications in the coming weeks. In the meantime, you can sign up to receive more information when it becomes available here.

Facebook has also created a Business Hub with tips and resources for businesses trying to survive during the outbreak.

Amazon

Amazon's goal with this fund is to help ensure small businesses are able to maintain their livelihood and businesses are eligible to apply for additional grant support due to reduced foot traffic over an extended period of time. See the Amazon website for the full list, but we have listed some details are below:

Only small businesses qualify, and they must be:

  • Fewer than 50 employees or less than $7 million in annual revenue
  • Be service or retail establishments generally open to the public
  • For example, dental establishments and corporate offices do not qualify
  • Not be publicly traded corporations
  • Priority will be given to businesses close to Amazon campuses where there's evidence of decreased revenue.
  • Businesses do not need to pay back the funding.

Link to apply for Amazon's Neighborhood Small Business Relief Fund.

Other vendors offering assistance:

  • Google has rolled out free access to its advanced Hangouts Meet video-conferencing capabilities to all G Suite customers until July 1 so businesses can stay connected with their teams and vendors.
  • UberEats is waiving delivery fees for all orders from independently-owned restaurants to keep them in business as many cities begin to mandate closure of storefronts.
  • Gusto has a complete COVID-19 Relief Resources guide for SMBs that is continually being updated with both public and private resources.

Tax Credits for SMBs:

The Small Business Relief Tax Credit is a refundable tax credit available to small businesses that provide their employees with paid sick and safe leave. (MD State)

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