As a fellow business owner, I’m sharing some resources you may find useful if your business has suffered from the impact of the coronavirus, or the government’s efforts to combat it. Naturally, I hope your business is thriving! But if not, take heart—you may qualify for help from several new loan and grant programs.
Here’s the main source for information on the federal Small Business Administration COVID-19 disaster relief programs: https://www.sba.gov/page/coronavirus-covid-19-small-business-guidance-loan-resources
It’s worth doing some research to find state and local programs near you. A good source for information may be your local Chamber of Commerce, your state’s Department of Commerce, local community foundations, small business incubators, or any professional or civic associations or organizations that you’re a member of.
Here are some additional local grant programs I’ve become aware of in the past few days. I believe that many more of these state and local funding sources will pop up over the next several weeks. If you don’t qualify for these particular programs, please share this post with another business owner who may be a better fit.
- A disaster grant program sponsored by Facebook, in the surprisingly long list of communities where Facebook has a presence
- Google ad credits for businesses that have had an active Google Ads account in the past year and are affected by COVID-19
- A free virtual storefront (no fees through June) from eBay
- A comprehensive list of federal, state and a few local programs and coronavirus relief offered in Ohio (your state may also have a similar list)
- Summit County Ohio COVID-19 Small Business Emergency Relief Grant Program (Akron area)
- Disaster micro-grant program sponsored by the Texas Black Expo
- Disaster relief programs for businesses in Maryland
- The Santa Rosa County (Florida) Small Business COVID-19 Recovery Grant Program
- A list of small business disaster aid programs and information sources in every state (scroll down past the listings of Federal resources)
If there’s anything I can do to help your business stay afloat during this challenge, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’d be happy to jump on a brief brainstorming call and help you generate ideas. Or just jump on a call to talk about how much it sucks to be on lockdown. Or to talk about those things we all have to be grateful for.
Know of other resources and support for small business owners impacted by the coronavirus? Drop a link in the comments, and I’ll add it to the list.
Take care of yourself! The world needs business owners like you!
