Small business owners across America are fighting to keep their workers employed and their dreams alive, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is fully committed to helping them recover and succeed.
Small business owners: Below, you’ll find financial assistance programs, resources, and advice to help you get through the storm. All others: Scroll down to find ways you can join us in supporting your local businesses like never before.
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Financial Assistance Programs | Resources and Advice | #ShopSmallEveryday
GUIDE TO SMALL BUSINESS COVID-19 EMERGENCY LOANS
What Small Businesses Need to Know About the New Pandemic Relief Package – Changes to PPP and More
Click here for everything small business owners need to know now.
Watch the Small Business Update: December 2020 Coronavirus Relief Town Hall with U.S. Chamber Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer, Neil Bradley, and Content Director at CO— and host of our CO-- Blueprint series, Jeanette Mulvey, as they discuss what the new bill could mean for small business owners.
FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
ECONOMIC INJURY DISASTER LOANS (EIDL)
Expanded by the CARES Act, the EIDL program has been around for a couple of years and is intended to provide economic relief to businesses that are currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue during a declared disaster. Here’s our step-by-step guide.
DEBT RELIEF PROGRAM
The SBA will pay 6 months of principal, interest, and any associated fees that borrowers owe for all current 7(a), 504, and Microloans in regular servicing status as well as new 7(a), 504, and Microloans disbursed prior to September 27, 2020.
EXPRESS BRIDGE LOANS
These loans allow small businesses who currently have a business relationship with an SBA Express Lender to access up to $25,000 quickly.
Click here for the Small Business Administration’s website, where you’ll find additional programs as well as more resources and guides for coronavirus-impacted businesses.
ADDITIONAL FEDERAL PROGRAMS
Click here for the official federal resource website for U.S. small businesses affected by COVID-19. At covid-sb.org, you can access reliable, essential information and search for a small business advisor or mentor near you.
SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS
Small Business Development Centers provide assistance to entrepreneurs and small businesses by way of training sessions and free business consulting. Host networks for SBDCs are located all across the U.S. and its territories. Search for a location near you by using a tool on SBA.gov.
WOMEN'S BUSINESS CENTERS
The Association of Women’s Business Centers sustains a network of 100 business centers across the United States, each of which supports female entrepreneurs with mentoring, as well as training, business development and finance opportunities. The AWBC also runs conferences, which can be great places to connect with potential mentors. Find a WBC near you.
VETERANS BUSINESS OUTREACH CENTER
VBOCs provide many entrepreneurial development services, including mentorship, to veterans, transitioning service members, National Guard & Reserve members and military spouses who are starting or growing a small business. You can search for locations near you on the SBA.govwebsite.
MBDA BUSINESS CENTERS
As an agency with the Department of Congress, the Minority Business Development Agency works to promote the growth of minority-owned businesses, in part through business centers located across the country in areas with the highest concentration of minority populations and minority business owners.
SCORE
Partnering with the U.S. Small Business Association, SCORE is a nonprofit that helps connect small businesses with volunteer mentors of both active and retired executives and entrepreneurs across 62 industries. There are 300 chapters across the country, so you can connect with a local mentor to meet in person, or you can set up video or email relationships.
STATE AND LOCAL PROGRAMS AND ASSISTANCE
The following state and local programs are still open to provide funding. Updated as of December 2, 2020.
| State | Program |
|---|---|
| Arizona | State and Local Programs |
| California | State Programs |
| Colorado | State and Local Grants |
| Connecticut | Connecticut CARES Small Business Grant Program |
| Delaware | Delaware Relief Grants |
| Georgia | State and Local Grants |
| Maryland | Small Business Development Financing Authority |
| Massachusetts | State and Local Programs |
| Michigan | Michigan Economic Development |
| Ohio | State and Local Programs |
| Pennsylvania | Small Business Development Center - Penn Authority |
| Rhode Island | Restore Rhode Island Fund |
| South Carolina | Potential Other Source of Funding |
| Tennessee | Tennessee Department of Revenue |
| Texas | State and Local Programs |
| Utah | Utah Business Loans and Grants |
| Washington | State and Local Programs |
PRIVATE SECTOR PROGRAMS AND ASSISTANCE
Many companies and organizations have stepped up to provide financial assistance to small businesses. Click on any of the below to check eligibility and requirements.
| Provider | Program and Service Link |
|---|---|
| Another Round Another Rally Relief Funds | Relief Funds |
| Arts Leaders of Color | Arts Leaders of Color Emergency Fund |
| Broadcasters Foundation Coronavirus Grants | Coronavirus Grants |
| Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency COVID-19 Grants | Emergency Grants - Covid-19 Fund |
| Comcast Rise | Comcast Rise |
| GoFundMe.org | GoFundMe.org Small Business Relief Fund |
| Goldman Sachs | Goldman Sachs US Small Business Resource Center |
| Google Small Business, Medium Business Grant | |
| Google Ads Small and Medium-sized Businesses | |
| Hello Alice (in partnership with Verizon) | Hello Alice |
| IFundWomen | IFundWomen |
| Local Initiatives Support Corp. | Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) |
| National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) | Growth Grants |
| Nav's Quartlerly Small Business Grant Contest | Business Grant Contest |
| Salesforce | Salesforce Care for Small Business |
| ShedulicityCares Grants | Schedulicity Cares |
| Small Unites | SmallUnites |
The U.S. Chamber played a key role in shaping and passing the CARES Act, including the law’s small business emergency loan programs, like the Paycheck Protection Program. We are continuing to fight for additional relief for small businesses and industries hit hardest by the pandemic. We will not stop fighting for you.
CO— CORONAVIRUS SMALL BUSINESS HUB
The latest resources, advice, and information to help small businesses navigate this challenging time, including financial aid guides, remote working tips, best practices articles, webinars and town halls, and more.
GUIDE: PPP LOAN FORGIVENESS
If you secured a PPP loan and are seeking guidance on the process, here’s a step by step guide to calculate your PPP loan forgiveness amount, navigate record-keeping requirements, and determine repayment terms on amounts not forgiven.
STATE-BY-STATE EMPLOYER REOPENING GUIDANCE
Use this interactive state map to navigate the different guidelines, timelines, and other important information for businesses starting to reopen amid the pandemic.
READY TO REOPEN: A PLAYBOOK FOR YOUR SMALL BUSINESS
Download this step-by-step guide to help your company reopen safely and keep employees and customers healthy and informed as restrictions lift across the country. The playbook includes safety and sanitation guidance, communications advice, and other best practices information.
For more guidance on reopening your business, click here.
STANDARDIZED EMPLOYEE SCREENING QUESTIONNAIRE
Download this questionnaire for sample screening questions to ask employees upon return to work and on a regular basis moving forward. This template is based on questions required or recommended by various states as well as input from U.S. Chamber member companies of all sizes and sectors.
CNBC SMALL BUSINESS CORONAVIRUS RESOURCE CENTER
Click above to discover additional resources, advice and small business news from our content partners at CNBC.
Thank you to Facebook, our partner on these guides and resources. Visit the Facebook Business Resources Hub for more resources and information.
HOW WE CAN ALL SUPPORT OUR LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES
Every single one of us counts on small businesses as the fabric of our communities and we all have a role to play in helping them through this crisis. Here are three ways to help.
SHOP SMALL
During this difficult time, let’s make sure we are all patronizing our local small businesses like never before. Join us in shopping small every day. We can all help small businesses by:
- Shopping at a new local retailer
- Trying out a new neighborhood restaurant
- Finding unique holiday gifts from local artisans and makers
- Purchasing a gift card from a small business in the area
- Supporting small, local service providers
SHARE ON SOCIAL
Be a Small Business Champion and tell your family and friends to do the same. Join the conversation on social media by using the hashtag #ShopSmallEveryday and tagging your favorite local businesses.
A SPECIAL NOTE TO LARGER COMPANIES
In partnership with American Express, Vistaprint, Merck, Altice, and others, we’re proud to have facilitated grants to hundreds of small businesses through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s initial Save Small Business Fund and our Coalition to Back Black Businesses.
We are continuing to call on the larger business community to marshal any available resources, talent, and unique capabilities to help small businesses in any way they can. If your company or foundation is interested in supporting small businesses on a national level, please contact us.
WE HAVE YOUR BACK, AND WE WILL NEVER STOP FIGHTING FOR YOU.
At the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, we have one mission: To help business leaders like you. We’ll never stop working to elevate the voice of small business owners, fighting for policies and legislation that strengthen our economy, and providing Main Street with the help and resources they need.
"Small businesses touch every family and every block of every town across America. And they need our help right now. We cannot and will not allow our country’s critical small business sector to collapse."
SUZANNE CLARK
U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PRESIDENT
