The City of Chicago wants your opinion

On May 8th, Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot, alongside the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH), announced the “Protecting Chicago” framework that the City will be using to guide Chicago’s reopening process amid COVID-19. The framework – organized into five phases in alignment with the State of Illinois’ “Restore Illinois” plan –will advise Chicagoans on how to safely exit from shelter-in-place while continuing to prioritize the health of our most vulnerable residents.

The City is soliciting public input to gauge sentiment on shelter-in-place and ensure the reopening is phased in a way that eases concerns that residents may have. To provide feedback, residents can visit 
www.chicago.gov/coronavirus/reopeningsurvey to complete a short survey. 

Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions. Your voice is important

Google free livestream event for small business

Next week, Google is hosting a free livestream on tools, tips, and resources to help businesses continue running remotely. In this one-hour online event, you'll learn how small businesses can use products such as Google My Business, Google Ads, Google Meet, and YouTube to stay connected and update customers with critical business information. They'll also share how these tools can help businesses host virtual meetings and events from anywhere. Register below:

Livestream: Manage Your Business Remotely in Times of Uncertainty
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
9:00AM - 10:00AM PT / 12:00PM - 1:00PM ET
Registration link: g.co/grow/smallbizlivestream

Facebook small-business grants

Facebook has pledged to give $100 million in small-business grants to help struggling businesses emerge from this pandemic. Applications are open now. to apply, or for more information, go here.

Grant program webinar

BACP is holding a series of webinars to provide information and answer questions about the City of Chicago Microbusiness Recovery Grant Program. 

• Thursday, April 30 at 10:00am in Spanish: Click here to register
• Thursday, April 30 at 2:00pm in English: Click here to register
• Friday, May 1 at 12:00pm in English: Click here to register
• Friday, May 1 at 2:00pm in Polish: Click here to register

To learn more about the Microbusiness Recovery Grant Program and to apply, visit chicago.gov/recoverygrant. 

Chicago Micro Business Recovery Grant Program

The City of Chicago has established the Microbusiness Recovery Grant Program. This program will distribute $5,000 grants to up to 1,000 businesses with four or fewer employees in low- and moderate-income areas of the city that have been severely impacted by COVID-19 and could most benefit from a grant. To apply, or for more information, go here.

New guidelines for Chicago businesses during the COVID-19 crisis

The City of Chicago has recently released new guidelines for companies during the current crisis.These modifications provide increased flexibility for certain businesses and important new guidelines to protect workers and consumers. These changes and modifications will become effective May 1^st and will last through the month of May. Please note that these rules are subject to change- please visit www.chicago.gov/coronavirus for updates and find today's guidelines here.

SBA Disaster Loan Funding expected to reopen Monday morning

On Friday, April 24, President Trump signed into law a new bill providing a much needed additional $310 billion into the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), created under the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act) to help small businesses keep employees on the payroll, and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL).

For those who have not yet applied for these programs, applications are expected to open up again at 9:30 am on Monday, 4/27. Find more information here.

Hungry?

Lots of tasty choices for delivery or carry out here on the southwest side. Find a downloadable list here.

New grant program for the small business community

Thanks to a $1 million grant from Sam’s Club, LISC will provide the emergency assistance that small businesses desperately need to stay afloat. They will deploy grants to help bridge the financial gap, and deliver technical assistance to help navigate the intricate web of public and private resources now available. LISC will focus these efforts on historically underserved communities—especially those enterprises owned or led by women, minorities and veterans, which often lack access to affordable capital. For details, or to apply, go here.

Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Resources

The Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil rights has put together a great resource page for businesses and individuals affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Find out more here. 

Friday deadline for loan applications

The deadline for applying for the City's Resiliency Fund program offering emergency small business loans to  is the close of business on Friday, April 24. To apply or for more information about the small business loan program, go here.

Save Small Business Fund

The US Chamber of Commerce Foundation has spearheaded the ‘Save Small Business Fund’ for employers between 3-20 employees! They’ll be supplying $5,000 grants (free money!) to any business owner who has been negatively impacted by COVID-19 and falls into a certain zip code. There’s a slick tool on the website where you can quickly see if a zip code is eligible. Check it out here.

Restaurant worker impacted by the Covid-19 crisis? Check this out.

Samuel Adams and The Greg Hill Foundation are bringing the successful Restaurant Strong Fund to 20 total states to aid the restaurant workers impacted by the Covid-19 closures. Find more details here.