Good morning everyone,

Important announcements!
• Salesforce Care Small Business Grants (National) – Today at 8am
• Neighborhood Mini-Grants for SF Small Businesses – Open Now
• Women Owned Small Business Mini Grant – Open Now
• Verizon-LISC Small Business Relief Grant – Round 2 is NOW OPEN!
• Unemployment Insurance for Self-Employed – Opens Tomorrow
 

Salesforce Care Small Business Grants – Opens Today at 8am

Administered by Ureeka, Salesforce will offer $10,000 grants to 300 small businesses nationally for a total of $3M to help get through #COVID19. For California businesses, the application period opens for ONE week: April 27 at 8 AM PT to May 4 at 11:59 PM PT. Set your calendars! Notable eligibility criteria:

  • Must have 2-50 FT or PT W-2 employees from 12/1/19 to time of application

  • Reported annual revenue $250k to $2M in most recent tax statement

  • Franchisees, chain businesses and bars are ineligible; restaurants are eligible if meet all other criteria

Full details, visit Salesforce Care Small Business Grants, review the FAQs and full grant program terms.
 

Small Business Economic Vitality Mini Grant
The Small Business Economic Vitality Mini Grants Plan is available for any family owned or owner owned small businesses located between Sutter and Geary from Laguna to Fillmore, Buchanan Mall, and Buchanan St. within the JCBD boundaries that meet the necessary criteria. The Japantown Task Force, Inc. (JTF) is collaborating with the Japantown Community Benefit District (JCBD) to outreach to merchants and businesses. In these uncertain times, JTF and JCBD recognizes the financial hardship the current matters related to COVID-19 has impacted our merchants. This grant is to help ease the difficulties of your business and encourage a prosperous commercial business in Japantown. The funding comes from the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development.

Available Grant Amount: Up to $1,000 for each eligible business 
 

Apply for a women-owned small business mini-grant
Get a grant for up to $2,000 for women-owned small business affected by the coronavirus outbreak.
 

Verizon-LISC Small Business Relief Grant – Round 2 Now Open!

Previously announced in our newsletter, an investment of $2.5 million from Verizon made it possible for LISC to begin offering critical relief and resiliency-building support to small businesses facing immediate financial threat because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Round 1 of the grant applications closed earlier this month and Round 2 is NOW OPEN! Applications must be submitted by Tuesday, April 28 at 11:59PM EST. Grants will be made in the amounts of $5,000, $7,500, and $10,000. Please read the Grant Overview, FAQs and apply here.
 

Unemployment Insurance for Self-Employed – Opens April 28

As part of the federal CARES Act, the new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program through the CA Employment Development Department (EDD) will be available to unemployed Californians who are business owners, self-employed, independent contractors, have limited work history, and others not usually eligible for regular state UI benefits who are out of business or services are significantly reduced as a direct result of the pandemic. The provisions of the program include:

  • Up to 39 weeks of benefits starting with weeks of unemployment from 2/2/20 to 12/26/20, depending on when you became directly impacted by the pandemic.

  • An additional $600 will be added to an individual’s PUA weekly benefit from federal CARES Act funds between March 29 and July 25.

The PUA website application portal will launch on April 28.

Businesses should visit EDD’s PUA webpage in advance of April 28 to learn about eligibility and read about how to certify for your benefits payments. For further guidance, review Labor Workforce Development Agency’s PUA FAQs.
 

Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
Those who have already applied for the Paycheck Protection Program but your application was not funded in the first round or not processed,  please check with your bank as soon as possible to confirm that they will continue to process your application or whether they have set new criteria. If you have not applied please call your financial institutions immediately. Download a copy of the PPP borrower application form to see what type of information will be requested.
 

California Disaster Relief Loan Guarantee Program
The Small Business Finance Center (SBFC) has partnered with Financial Development Corporations to provide loan guarantees and direct loans for small businesses that experience capital access barriers. The site lists financial development corporations that you can contact directly to apply.
 

A reminder that Facebook has pledged to give $100 million in small-business grants to help struggling businesses emerge from this pandemic — and $15 million in grants will be distributed in the Bay Area. 

Grant Application: Open: Apr 20 2020 10:00 AM (EDT)
Deadline: May 6 2020 11:59 PM (EDT)

Application website:
https://www.facebook.com/grantsforbusiness
 

API Legal Outreach (APILO) can assist you in the application process and answer any other questions you may have. Please call 1-415-567-6255 and leave a message requesting help in the language preferred. They are able to provide assistance in the following languages: Korean, Japanese, Tagalog, Cantonese, and Spanish. Leave your name, business name and phone number so that APILO staff can contact you.
 

The SBA San Francisco District Office will be hosting a series of webinars beginning on April 28, 2020:

  • Tuesdays at 3:00 pm (PST)

  • Thursdays at 11:00 am (PST)

This event will provide an overview of SBA Disaster Loan Programs:

  • Debt Relief

  • Economic Injury Disaster Loan 

  • Paycheck Protection Program 

This is a great opportunity to get any questions you may have answered and find out about the multiple resources available to help your business recover from the effects of COVID-19. Click here to register.

In light of security concerns for small businesses that have arisen during COVID-19, the San  San Francisco Chamber of Commerce is hosting a forum with San Francisco Police Department, Commander Daryl Fong. Join us to ask questions and learn more about SFPD strategies and recommendations for protecting small businesses amid COVID-19. Please share this free event with anyone who you think may benefit. Please register in advance. Questions can be submitted with your registration or using the Q&A feature in the Webinar. 

Please note the changes in operating hours for the Japan Center Garage. Please share this information with your staff and customers.