America’s 30 million small businesses are the driving force of the nation’s economy. The Times of Entrepreneurship team has compiled a resource guide to support them. Here is a list of programs still offering financial aid and support to small businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Camden Micro-Business Emergency Assistance Program
The city of Camden, N.J. has announced it will use funds previously set aside for parks and other projects from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as Community Development Block Grant funds to provide grants of up to $5,000 to assist small businesses in maintaining payroll, purchasing inventory or equipment and offset other expenses. Businesses must have physical storefronts in the city. Grants are being awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The City of Albany is offering grants of up to $10,000 to help businesses that suffered damage in recent unrest. The money can be used for exterior renovations or repairs. City of Carlsbad, California, $5 Million Economic Revitalization Package
The City of Carlsbad is offering microloans of $5,000 to $10,000 to businesses with gross revenue of $2 million or less and 15 employees or fewer. For businesses with gross revenue of $3 million or less and 50 employees or fewer, the city is offering loans from $10,000 to $25,000. Community Loan Funds
Oklahoma City-based StitchCrew created this list of resources for entrepreneurs, which includes many community loan funds that have been established by philanthropists and community financial organizations in their cities.
Database Of Government, Public And Private Startup Assistance For Impact of COVID-19
Growth-stage venture firm Blisce has developed this open-source database of aid initiatives, with extensive descriptions of how they work.
Gift Certificates to Support Entrepreneurs
Kabbage payments is enabling any business to sign up to sell gift certificates online. Gift certificates are essentially a form of customer financing, where customers pay you in advance for your services.
OpenTable has a gift card marketplace
Hello Alice
Hello Alice, a funding provider working with government and nonprofits, is offering $10,000 emergency grants to small businesses, with the aim to deliver them on a staggered basis.
Idaho Childcare Emergency Grant
The state grants provide daycare and childcare businesses with financial resources to operate during the pandemic. Deadline: June 30.International Women’s Media Foundation
This fund is offering grants of up to $2,000 to both freelance and staff women-identifying journalists who have suffered significant financial hardship due to cancelled assignments or a layoff and who urgently need assistance to avoid severe, irreversible outcomes. Applicants must have no other sources of income.
Keep NY State Creating Grants
Artists in Western NY, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, Central New York, North Country, Mohawk Valley, Capital District, Hudson Valley and Long Island who previously received applied for NYSCA/New York Foundation for the Arts artist fellowships in 2018, 2019 and 2020 will be considered for $1,000 grants being redistributed from CARES Act funding. They are to help artists continue creative projects interrupted by the pandemic. Application closes June 17.
Kiva Loans for Entrepreneurs
This microlender is offering 0% loans of up to $15,000 to entrepreneurs. Kiva requires a four-step process: applying, proving their creditworthiness by asking friends and family to lend to you, fundraising among lenders on Kiva and repaying the loan in 36 months.
LiftFUND
This public-private partnership is providing 0% interest loans up to $25 to help Corpus Christi, Texas, small businesses that have suffered losses because of COVID-19 in the Corpus Christi Disaster Relief Program.
Opportunity Fund
This fund, which has backing from Wells Fargo, supports new and existing business owners who are struggling financially amidst COVID-19.
Phoenix Microbusiness Resiliency Program
Aimed at solo practitioners, entrepreneurs, independent operators and early-stage startups, including home-based businesses, this state-funded program offers a $5,000 grant. Businesses with up to 5 employees and up to $1 million in gross ales are eligible. They must demonstrate that gross sales declined by at least 25% in March and April 2020, compared to the same months in 2019.
Phoenix Small Business Relief Grant Program
The city of Phoenix is offering grants of up to $10,000 to businesses with fewer than 25 employees that operate in lower-income areas and generate up to $3 million in annual sales. Businesses must demonstrate a 25% drop in gross sales in March and April of 2020, compared to the same months in 2019.
Professional Beauty Association COVID-19 Relief Fund
Licensed beauty professionals who have not been able to work or who are experiencing financial hardships because of COVID-19 can apply for $500 grants. Applications are funded through a lottery system.
Rising Tide Relief Fund
This fund will provide microloans to startup businesses in Tampa. The goal is to provide near-zero-interest loans for quick cash infusions with minimal paperwork. The program is seeking donations now.
SBIR
If you’re inspired to innovate in these changing times, consider applying for funding from SBIR, the government program that funds high-risk innovations that could make a big difference.
Small Business Relief Initiative
Supported by GoFundMe, Yelp and QuickBooks, this program will provide matching grants to small businesses that raise at least $500 on GoFundMe.
Las Vegas businesses in Clark County will be able to apply for $5,000 or $10,000 grants through the Clark County website later this month.Steady
In partnership with The Workers Fund, this gig-economy platform is offering emergency cash grants of $100 to $1,000 to selected members who have linked their accounts to the site’s Income Tracker.
Stronger Together Fund
Companies with fewer than 5,000 employees can apply for grants to cover the take-home pay of employees and contractors, as well as fees associated with creating new full-time roles.
The Entrepreneurial Dream Project
This program will offer two new businesses that the owners are building during COVID-19 an equal portion of a non-dilutive $100,000 grant, along with coaching from the SuperMaker Mentor Network, which includes business leaders such as Mark Cuban and Rebecca Minkoff. Another 10 companies will receive mentoring from the network. Deadline: June 15.
The List
The Freelancers Union has put together this compendium of resources for freelancers who’ve lost business due to COVID-19.
Virginia 30-Day Fund
Entrepreneur Peter Snyder has contributed $100,000 and secured donations to create a $500,000 fund to help Northern Virginia businesses, particularly minority-owned firms, keep employees on payroll. It is offering forgivable loans for up to $3,000.
We’re All In
This initiative will offering Wisconsin’s small businesses $2,500 cash grants to assist with the cost of business interruption or for health and safety improvements, wages and salaries, rent, mortgages and inventory. Applications will open in early June. Businesses must have 20 or fewer full-time employees.
Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation
[Know of any resources that will help other small business owners? Please submit them to Elaine Pofeldt at epofeldt@yahoo.com]
