COVID-19 Resources

Emergency Capital Programs & Funding Opportunities

  • Small Business Administration Emergency Capital Programs
    • SBA Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center: can be reached at 1-800-659-2955 (TTY: 1-800-877-8339) and disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for questions and guidance on the loan application process, including business eligibility.

    • Paycheck Protection Program: for small businesses needing funds to pay up to 8 weeks of payroll costs including benefits. May also be used to pay interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities. These are loans that may be fully forgiven.
      4/27 Update: If your business has already applied, contact your financial institution for their recommendation for how to proceed. Your application may still be “in line” or your business may need to reapply. If your business has not yet applied, contact your financial institution to see if they are participating in the Paycheck Protection Loan program.
    • Economic Injury Disaster Loans (low-interest, long-term loans up to $2 million): the first payment is deferred for 12 months. The application has been simplified and can be completed 100% online through the SBA web portal. 
      5/4 Update: At this time, only agriculture business applications will be accepted due to limitations in funding availability and the unprecedented number of submissions already received.
      • Agricultural businesses includes those businesses engaged in the production of food and fiber, ranching, and raising of livestock, aquaculture, and all other farming and agricultural related industries (as defined by section 18(b) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 647(b)).
      • SBA is encouraging all eligible agricultural businesses with 500 or fewer employees wishing to apply to begin preparing their business financial information needed for their application.
      • For agricultural businesses that submitted an EIDL application through the streamlined application portal prior to the legislative change, SBA will process these applications without the need for re-applying.
      • US Chamber of Commerce’s Guide to the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans
    • Economic Injury Disaster Loan Advance (up to $10,000): the form to apply is part of the Economic Injury Disaster Loan application noted above. If approved, these funds can be used for payroll and other operating expenses and will be forgiven. Businesses that did not originally apply for the advance may apply now.

    • SBA Express Bridge Loan: allows small businesses who currently have a business relationship with an SBA Express Lender to access up to $25,000 with less paperwork. These loans can be a term loan or used to bridge the gap while applying for SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan funding.

    • SBA Debt Relief: the SBA is providing a financial reprieve to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

  • SEDA-COG EDA COVID-19 Loan
    The new SEDA-COG EDA COVID-19 Loan Fund is for businesses negatively impacted by COVID-19. For-profit businesses can apply for loans of at least $10,000 starting now until funds are exhausted. No payments are due in the first six months. The total amount of the fund is $400,000. The interest rate is 3.25%. Businesses must be in SEDA-COG’s region of Centre, Clinton, Columbia, Juniata, Lycoming, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Snyder, and Union counties.

  • Mainstreet Lending Program
    The Federal Reserve developed the Main Street Lending Program to help credit flow to small and medium-sized businesses that were in sound financial condition before the pandemic.

  • Verizon Small Business Recovery Fund
    An investment of $2.5 million from Verizon is making 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. The funding will make grants of up to $10,000 available, especially to entrepreneurs of color, women-owned businesses and other enterprises in historically under-served places who don’t have access to flexible, affordable capital.

  • GoFundMe Small Business Relief Fund
    As part of the Small Business Relief Initiative, GoFundMe, Intuit QuickBooks, Yelp, GoDaddy, and Bill.com have each donated to the Small Business Relief Fund. GoFundMe.org, the charitable and advocacy arm of GoFundMe, started the Small Business Relief Fund to benefit small businesses. Supporters can donate to the Small Business Relief Fund, which will issue $500 matching grants to qualifying businesses that raise at least $500 on GoFundMe. 

  • Hello Alice Business for All Emergency Grant
    Hello Alice is offering $10,000 grants being distributed immediately to small business owners impacted by COVID-19, as part of their broader mission to ensure Business for All.

  • The Red Backpack Fund
    Latest round of funding opened June 1!
    The Spanx by Sara Blakely Foundation donated $5 million to support female entrepreneurs in the wake of COVID-19 and have teamed up with GlobalGiving to establish The #RedBackpackFund. GlobalGiving will award at least 1,000 grants of $5,000 each to female entrepreneurs in the U.S. to help alleviate the immediate needs and support the long-term recovery of those impacted by this crisis. 

  • The Booz Allen Foundation Innovation Fund
    Booz Allen has established a $1 million Innovation Fund to help nonprofits, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, innovators at colleges and universities, and startups and small businesses harness the power of data, technology, and diverse intellectual capital to improve COVID-19 relief efforts and make a difference.

  • Open Road Alliance Grants
    Charitable Grants will only be offered to organizations responding directly to COVID-19. Eligible organizations must be one of the following:
    • A US-registered 501c3 nonprofit in good standing
    • A for-profit social enterprise or foreign charity with a U.S.-registered charitable fiscal sponsor/partner organization in good standing (501c3, Private Foundation, DAF, etc.)

  • Grantstation Grant Locator
    This database allows you to find the latest COVID-19 grant funding opportunities for nonprofits, small businesses, journalists, and artists, updated each business day and listed by deadline date.

  • CovidCAP.com
    CASE and CASE i3 at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business launched a searchable website to help any entrepreneur in the world, for-profit or nonprofit, struggling due to the economic impacts of COVID-19, to locate cash relief resources in their community.

  • Small Business Grants for Companies Hit by COVID-19 (Compiled by Inc.)
    Inc. has compiled a list of states, cities, counties, and corporations providing grants for small businesses.

  • PA 30 Day Fund Grants
    PA 30 Day Fund, a Pennsylvania non-profit, is providing forgivable loans for Pennsylvania-based small businesses. The forgivable loan is intended to provide immediate financial assistance (within maximum three days) to meet payroll, preserve healthcare coverage for employees and save jobs while they await recently approved federal funding.
     
  • FedEx Small Business Grant
    FedEx is providing 200 #smallbusinesses with a $5K grant, plus a $500 credit from FedEx Office that can be used for printing banners, posters, floor graphics, custom branded boxes, and more. The application process opens 5/25 and the deadline to apply is 6/12. 


Unemployment Compensation Information


State and Local Announcements & Resources 


Federal Updates

Disaster Assistance Information & Resources for Small Businesses


Business Resiliency Resources

Upcoming Educational Events

Visit our events calendar to learn about upcoming Penn State SBDC webinars related to small business resources and COVID-19 relief. 

Path Forward Webinar Series
Host: U.S. Chamber Foundation
3 p.m. EST every Monday and Thursday
This program from the U.S. Chamber Foundation, is designed to help business and community leaders find the answers they need to develop a responsible reopening strategy. When will it be safe to reopen? How do we protect employees and customers from the coronavirus? Where will my staff get COVID-19 tests? Masks? Gloves? Who’s going to pay for all this? Each episode features conversations between the U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Suzanne Clark and experts with practical recommendations for businesses of all sizes.
Register Now

HR Webinar Series, Part II: Unemployment Compensation Benefits Basics 
Host: PA Chamber
Thursday, June 4 at 11 am
Important Unemployment Compensation benefits questions will be answered during this event, which will feature top UC expert Geoffrey Moomaw, president of Interstate Tax Service.
Register Here
For details on these and other PA Chamber webinars and events, visit their website.

Child Care and the Workforce: Current Implications and Recommendations for Policy and Practice
Monday, June 8 at 9:00am
Audience: Business Leaders and Policy Makers
Register Here 
Click here to view the agenda 
 

EDA CARES response funding opportunity
Tuesday, June 9 
Host: U.S. Economic Development Administration
U.S. EDA representatives will share information regarding $1.5 billion in economic development grants available for coronavirus response and recovery efforts at the local, state and regional levels. The EDA team also will discuss the pending innovation and entrepreneurship challenge component of the funding. Join us to learn more about qualifying for grants, which types of project support/assistance will be funded, how to apply, and more. There will be time for Q&A at the end of the presentation.
Register Here


SBA District and Regional Office Webinars on Disaster Assistance  
SBA district and regional offices are offering webinars about Economic Injury Disaster Loans.
These webinars explain SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program and how you can apply for disaster assistance. 
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