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Guidance for Small Businesses

California announced broad assistance to small businesses and employers impacted by COVID-19 including grants, low-interest loans, and tax deferrals. Learn more here.

Restaurant Revitalization Program
Congress created the Restaurant Revitalization Fund to help restaurants overcome the financial toll of this pandemic. Businesses can receive up to $10M in grant funding to cover their pandemic-related losses. Learn how to apply here.

Paycheck Protection Program
Applications for the Paycheck Protection Program through the SBA ended on May 31, 2021. Exisiting borrowers may be eligible for loan forgiveness.

The SBA released guidelines on how small businesses can apply for forgiveness of their Paycheck Protection Program loans. Through the CARES Act, PPP loans are eligible for forgiveness if utilized for payroll, rent/mortgage, or utility expenses. Guidelines can be found here.

California Small Business Development Corporation COVID-19 Resource Guide

Small Business Guide to the CARES Act

US Chamber of Commerce Small Business Guide

San Bernardino County COVID-19 Resources

City of Fontana

The City of Fontana is now offering businesses the opportunity to renew or apply for their business license online.

Small Business Development

Orange County/Inland Empire Small Business Development Center

Inland Empire Women's Business Center

Remote Score Mentorship

For a full list of Small Business Development Centers in the Inland Empire, click here.

Loans and Grants

San Bernardino County COVID-Compliant Business Partnership

San Bernardino County recently made a number of program adjustments to its COVID Compliant Business Partnership Program to make the program available to even more business owners. The program supports our local small businesses by reimbursing and/or offsetting costs and impacts directly related to complying with COVID-19 related business protocols and providing support to all eligible County businesses who apply for the program.

More information can be found here.

California Rebuilding Fund

The California Rebuilding Fund is offering flexible and low-interest loans of up to $100K to small businesses in under-banked areas via community lenders. Local business owners can access the capital they need by applying here.

Economic Injury Disaster Loan

The SBA's Economic Injury Disaster Loan provides vital economic support to small businesses to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue they are experiencing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This program is for any small business with less than 500 employees (including sole proprietorships, independent contractors and self-employed persons), private non-profit organization or 501(c)(19) veterans organizations affected by COVID-19.

The SBA has increased the amount of Economic Injury Disaster Loans available to small businesses. Now, businesses can apply for 24 months of assistance with a loan maximum of $500,000. More information can be found here.

Small businesses, tribal business concerns, 501(c)(3) nonprofits, and 501(c)(19) veterans organizations the district should contact their lender and the Small Business Administration office directly. For a list of SBA offices by state with contact information please click click here.

SBA Disaster Loan FAQs

Question: Congress passed disaster loans for small businesses. What happens now?
Answer: SBA is working directly with Governors to provide targeted, low-interest loans to small businesses and private nonprofit organizations that have been severely impacted by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Question: My state received approval, but it wasn't state-wide. Will SBA allow more counties to be approved?
Answer: In some instances, state-wide declarations are not being made. Instead, they are on a county basis. If your state is experiencing new cases in undeclared counties after an SBA approval, Governors can amend their approved declaration by working with SBA on the county-specific findings.

Question: My state received approval so where do small businesses apply?
Answer: Small businesses in eligible areas may apply for an EIDL online at: https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/ or they can also reach out to their local SBA District Offices.

Question: If small businesses need help with their applications, are there any other resources available to help them fill out the applications?
Answer: SBA has also coordinated with the Resource Partners, including Small Business Development Centers, (SBDCs) who can assist with the application process. The list of SBDCs is available online here.

Question: How do I know if a small business is eligible?
Answer: SBA's Office of Disaster Assistance works with state emergency management divisions to certify certain areas as an "eligible area." The list of eligible areas is also available online here.

Question: What is an Economic Injury Disaster Loan?
Answer: The SBA's Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program provides small businesses with working capital loans of up to $2 million to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, or other bills that can't be paid because of the COVID-19 outbreak. The interest rate is 3.75 percent for small businesses without credit available elsewhere, and businesses with credit available elsewhere are not eligible to apply for assistance. The maximum term is 30 years. A small business is defined by the SBA's Size Standards in accordance with the Native American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes and SBA's Size Standards Tool can be utilized.

Question: What's the timeline like?
Answer: Once a borrower submits an application, approval timelines depend on volume. Typical timeline for approval is 2-3 weeks and disbursement can take up to 5 days. Borrowers are assigned individual loan officers for servicing of the loan.

Question: Where can I find more information?
Answer: For additional information, borrowers should contact the SBA Disaster Assistance customer service center by calling 1-800-659-2955 or emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. They can also visit SBA.gov/disaster for more information.

Courtesy of House Committee on Small Business