Protecting the safety of employees, customers and facilities is a priority for companies as they move to reopen. As a global leader in safety, UL has pulled together a range of resources to help you and your employees safely return to work.
Access courses and materials including:
The CARES Act offers assistance to American businesses and households affected by the coronavirus, components include stimulus payments to individuals, expanded unemployment coverage that includes the self-employed, 6-month delay for student federal loan payments, and more. For info:
Recorded webinars:
Faith-based Organizations: The SBA has clarified that faith-based organizations are eligible to receive loans regardless of whether they provide secular social services. See the FAQ here.
CDC-recommended tips that small business owners can take to mitigate risk, protect employees and support customers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Small Business Administration (SBA) — The Coronavirus Small Business Guidance & Loan Resources page is being continually updated with all SBA tools and resources, including preparedness checklists and different avenues to access capital.
U.S. Small Business Administration Small Business Resource Guide (Illinois Edition) offering business tips, contact information, and other resources that may be helpful.
The State of Illinois will be offering two programs for small businesses: Business Interruption Grants Program (BIG) and Distressed Capital Program. The BIG program will provide $60 million to businesses who have experienced losses or business interruption due to the COVID-19 crisis. The Distressed Capital Program will offer $25 million to support businesses that have sustained property damage as a result of civil unrest during the recent protests and demonstrations on or after May 25, 2020. This program will reimburse the costs to repair structural damages which includes repairing storefronts, improving electrical system, and restoring exterior work. Link to apply.
Illinois' GET HIRED initiative hosts virtual job fairs and professional development: GET HIRED
Educational & professional development: https://www.coursera.org/
Virtual Job Fair: https://www.illinoisworknet.com/virtualjobfairs#search
IL Small Business Relief Fund: Illinois Treasurer Business Invest – Illinois Small Business COVID-19 Relief Program (Illinois)
Industry-specific guidelines include details such as how businesses can engage in healthy interactions between workers and customers, how to maintain safe working spaces and conditions, and how to design and monitor workplace operations to create flexibility and maintain safety for employees and customers. The guidelines are aligned with the State of Illinois-issued guidelines, with specificity included for the city of Chicago’s context. Guidelines can be found at www.chicago.gov/reopening. Mayor Lightfoot addressed the Economic Club of Chicago on May 13, 2020 to share the City’s current thinking on reopening. To view the speech, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e6o1HK6AE0
The Chicago Small Business Resiliency Loan Fund will provide more than $100 million in low-interest loans to severely impacted small businesses over the coming months. Visit chicagoresiliencyfund.com to apply. Business Affairs & Consumer Protection Small Business Center | The City of Chicago is committed to playing an active role in helping small business. Please visit www.chicago.gov/BACPCOVID19 for updates.
Chicago Public Schools Updates
Chicago Department of Public Health has a website that provides mental health and well‐being resources for first responders and the healthcare community.
PRIVATE & NON PROFIT SUPPORT
1871’s Digitizing Small Businesses Resource Guide. The team at 1871 created a resource guide, Digitizing Small Businesses Guide, for entrepreneurs interesting to transition to online sales and engage in digital marketing. 1871 is also offering opportunities for one-to-one mentorship so if you’re interested feel free to fill out the form located in the guide. Facebook Small Business Grants Program for Black-Owned Businesses. Earlier this summer, Facebook committed an additional $100 million investment to support Black-owned businesses, creators and non-profits in the U.S. Of that, they’re allocating $40 million in grants to support 10,000 Black-owned businesses. Any majority Black-owned business with 50 or fewer employees can apply for a grant. Facebook is partnering with Accenture and the Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO) to get these grants to Black-owned businesses quickly. The deadline to apply is August 31, 2020. Apply here Facebook Small Business Resource Guide. Download Facebook's comprehensive guide to their free tools, trainings and resources across their Family of Apps – Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger. Download here. Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce (WPBCC) Microgrant Opportunity. WPBCC has created a micro grant to financially support and sponsor marketing & promotions for partnerships between local chamber member businesses. The application closes December 31, 2021. Apply here.
The Partnership is hosting free online digital literacy training courses, available in both English and Spanish. Improve your computer skills by participating in a live digital literacy webinar. Registration is required at least 24 hours before each event starts. To register please use the links below:
University CoWork has created and is maintaining a comprehensive list (45 current opportunities) of national/state/county/city/private grants and loans geared for south-side small businesses: www.UniversityCoWork.com/pandemicrelief
Executives' Club of Chicago Business Resources
Free Legal Advice. Community Law Project is hosting a free Virtual Legal Clinic for Small Businesses & Nonprofits. Click here. Small businesses and nonprofits who have suffered adversely from the impact of the COVID-19 crisis can request an appointment to receive free legal advice during a 30-minute remote consultation with a volunteer attorney.
KPMG held a webcast for not-for-profits where they summarized the issues of relevance to non-profit organizations from the recently Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act); outlined opportunities for larger non-profit organizations to apply for relief under a new program at the Department of the Treasury; identified eligibility of small business loans and grants for non-profits and various tax provisions that benefit non-profit organizations and encourage charitable contributions; and distinguished expanded unemployment benefits and related provisions. To view the webcast, please click here.
Accion Chicago is now offering city and state emergency loans and will help people figure out PPP and other programs. Visit https://us.accion.org/news/emergency-capital/ , click the first link on that page that provides a side by side by side of City State Federal loans.
Arts for Illinois Relief Fund is now available to provide financial assistance to artists, artisans and cultural organizations impacted by COVID-19. The fund is a partnership between the City of Chicago, the State of Illinois and the broader philanthropic community. Arts for Illinois Relief Fund is administered by Arts Alliance Illinois in partnership with 3Arts and Arts Work Fund. To date, more than $4M has been committed from public and private sources to seed an upcoming statewide campaign that will provide additional funding to meet the growing and critical needs of the state’s creative sector. Artists, artisans and cultural organizations impacted by COVID-19 are urged to apply for grants through www.artsforillinois.org. COVID-19 Insurance Implications. World Business Chicago in partnership with Willis Tower Watson, Hennessy & Roach, P.C. and Jackson Lewis, PC, held a webinar: Risk and Insurance Implications of COVID-19. This webinar was presented to help business leaders and owners get answers to questions related to how insurance coverage may apply to potential claims related to this pandemic. The agenda included an overview of property and business interruption coverages and how various exclusions and coverage limitations may impact coverage for policy holders. In addition, we reviewed the impact on employers and their employees relating to workers compensation and employment practices issues. We also discussed third party liability issues and how liability coverage may potentially be interpreted in claims scenarios. Please click here to access the recording, and here for the presentation. Skills for Chicagoland’s Future (Skills) is actively working with 40+ business partners across all industries to understand their current and anticipated hiring/talent needs, and are also able to support your company during this time. If you are experiencing a surge in demand and need to bring on more staff quickly, or have been forced to lay-off staff – they are here to support you. Skills has placed over 7,500 unemployed and underemployed individuals into jobs across all industries over the last eight years. If your business has been impacted, contact Cristian Sirera, Skills’ Associate Director of Business Development, at csirera@skillsforchicagoland.com and 630-750-2120. For more info visit: www.skillsforchicagolandsfuture.com.
Dining at a Distance was first launched and curated in Chicago in response to the COVID-19 crisis to provide an easy way to find local restaurants. Today the site has grown from Chicago to cities across the world. Restaurants are encouraged to register their business and those interested in supporting local businesses are encouraged to patronize restaurants on this list.
GoFundMe Small Business Relief Fund: Provides one-time matching grants to qualifying small businesses. GoFundMe, Yelp, and Intuit QuickBooks have pledged to donate up to $1.5 million in donations into the GoFundMe.org Small Business Relief Fund. Until that Fund is depleted, GoFundMe.org will continue issuing $500 matching grants to qualifying businesses. Click link to learn how to qualify.
Kabbage launched an online hub to help boost sales for U.S small businesses impacted by COVID-19, including a system through which businesses can sell gift cards to consumers for use at a later date.
MainVest, a crowdfunding platform, announced its new Main Street Initiative: a $2,000, zero-interest, 120 day loan for restaurants or other brick and mortars affected by the shutdown, in addition to its normal fundraising offerings.
Seated Hotline for Restaurant Owners: Free advice from finance and law experts in the hospitality industry
Restaurant Employee Relief Fund: Operated by The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation; Created to help restaurant industry employees experiencing hardship. Grants will be made to restaurant industry employees who have demonstrated being financially impacted by COVID-19. Application Information. Applications will open 04/02/2020
Microsoft Teams freemium — Enjoy unlimited chat, built-in group and one-on-one audio or video calling, 10 GB of team file storage and 2 GB of personal file storage per user. You also get real-time collaboration with the Office apps for web, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.
PandaDoc — The document automation software for small and medium-sized businesses has launched a free e-signature plan to help businesses keep running while they switch to remote working. Free eSign offers include unlimited document uploads, upload and send for eSignature as many documents as you’d like, unlimited eSignatures – collect an unlimited number of legally binding eSignatures; and payment processing – accept a credit card, PayPal, or ACH payment the moment your doc is signed.
Square — The payment processor is refunding all software subscription fees for the month of March for existing sellers who currently use Square Appointments, Retail, Restaurants, Loyalty, Team Management, Payroll, Marketing, and Square Online Store. Square will manage the process for you—there’s no need to do anything. Additional product updates are also in the works. You can use the just released curbside pickup option through Square Online Store, and they plan to release a local delivery feature this week. Curbside pickup and delivery fees are waived for the next three months.
Zoom Basic Plan — Host up to 100 participants in a meeting and hold unlimited one-on-one meetings with the video-conference provider’s complimentary plan. This does provide a 40-minute limit on group meetings, though you’re not limited to the number of meetings.
Businesses affected by COVID-19: Guidance on updating Google info and temporary closures (Google Business)
Work, teach, and learn from anywhere (Google’s Remote Work hub)
Facebook for Business Tips & Resources Impacted by COVID-19 (Facebook)
Backing Your Business During COVID-19 Outbreak (Quickbooks)
Resources to Help Your Small Business Survive the Coronavirus (U.S. Chamber of Commerce)
COVID-19 Communications & Social Media Toolkit (U.S. Chamber of Commerce)
3 Expert Strategies for Curbing Coronavirus-Related Business Losses (U.S. Chamber of Commerce)
Starting an E-Commerce Business at a Moment of Crisis (Small Business Connection)
Kiva is a nonprofit, that envisions a financially inclusive world where all people hold the power to improve their lives: Established in 2005 as the world's first personal micro-lending website, Kiva enables everyday people to pool small lending contributions to provide financial access to entrepreneurs across the globe. Kiva US Loans are between $1,000 - $15,000, with repayment terms between 12 - 36 months, and 0% interest, $0 in fees. Click here to see our spotlight on Kiva.
American Express Financial Hardship — Amex is evaluating accounts on a case-by-case basis under its Financial Hardship Relief program to provide support for cardholders impacted by COVID-19. If approved, your interest rate may be lowered to rates as low as 0%, and you may receive a waiver on late and other account fees. Just note that if you accept the relief, your accounts may be frozen, and you won’t be able to use them until paid off. Your Membership Rewards balance will also be frozen, and the issuer may notify the credit bureaus that your account limits were lowered.
American Express Working Capital — Amex business cardholders can enroll with no credit check and get ongoing access to funds used for vendor payments between $500 and $150,000 with repayment terms of 30, 60 or 90 days. These charge a fixed fee between 0.6% and 5.25%.
Chase — You can call the number on the back of your card and ask to speak with an account representative about the possibility of relief from fees and interest. Multiple readers have reported success in having interest and late fees waived due to hardship related to COVID-19.
Capital One, Citi and Wells Fargo have all issued statements indicating that they are willing to work with customers that experience financial difficulties. Citi issued a statement that for 30 days, small business customers are eligible to have their monthly service fees waived.
Wells Fargo donated $6.25 million in aid to help the public relief effort. The bank encourages customers experiencing financial hardship to contact customer service for assistance. Link.
The Chicago Department of Public Health offers ‘Chi COVID Coach’, a mobile-friendly, web-based application designed to support residents during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. You can find the app at Chicago.gov/COVIDCOACH. FAMILY SUPPORT:
Resources in Other Languages - Residents can now find more information about stopping the spread of COVID-19 and protecting themselves and their families in multiple languages:
Federally funded student loans: The CARES Act provides student debt relief in the form of suspended payments of federal loans for six months for most students. Loan forgiveness will only apply for students that have withdrawn from enrollment due to the pandemic. Click here for more information.
Senior and Older Adult Community: Helpful resources for older adults in Illinois are available at aarp.org/Chicago and aarp.org/coronavirus.
The Greater Chicago Food Depository benefits outreach team can help you apply for SNAP and Medicaid and make referrals for other public benefits. Call their hotline at 773-843-5416 for a free confidential interview Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) are open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m., to provide meals (breakfast and lunch). Families can receive three days of meals for each young person in the household. If families have trouble getting to a site, they can call 773-553-KIDS or email at familyservices@cps.edu to make a request for food delivery.
The Archdiocese of Chicago offers 120 sites to support residents, which includes schools open for drive-by meal pick up Monday-Friday. Catholic Charities will continue to serve residents at their Food Pantries and Evening Meal Programs. To access other services please call 312-655-7700.
The Chicago Community COVID-19 Response Fund. In collaboration with the City of Chicago, The Chicago Community Trust and United Way of Metro Chicago launched the Chicago Community COVID-19 Response Fund to unite funds raised by Chicago’s philanthropies, corporations and individuals to be disbursed to nonprofit organizations across the region. As we are individually taking steps to protect our own families, workplaces and neighborhoods from the effects of the virus, let’s not forget the impact this will have on our neighbors. Missing paychecks, the inability to pay rent, and a lack of access to food and essential supplies are realities that many in our region will have to face in the coming weeks. Please join us in supporting our neighbors across the City of Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. To donate, or more information, click here.
Crain's Chicago, April 21, 2020 - Every Thursday, Crain's Small Business Lifeline provides the small business community with timely expert advice and updates about navigating the COVID-19 crisis and rebuilding for the future. Click here. Wall Street Journal, April 8, 2020: Lawmakers, White House Vow to Quickly Provide More Small-Business Loans
Patch, April 7, 2020: Resources for Local Businesses Needing Help During COVID-19 Pandemic. Bisnow, April 3, 2020: COVID-19 Impact On Chicago Economy is Unknown, But Regional Players Are Already Planning On Long-Term Changes And Eventual Recovery. Webinar recording. AP News, March 31, 2020: A guide to surviving financially as the bills come due
Chicago Patch, March 27, 2020: Federal Stimulus Package: How Much Illinois Residents Can Expect. CNBC, March 25, 2020: Stimulus Package grants student borrowers a six-month break. New York Times, March 25, 2020: Congress and White House Strike Deal for $2 Trillion Stimulus Package Crain's Chicago Business, March 24, 2020: COVID-19 Fund Makes First Grants, Prioritizes Safety-Net Providers. ABC News, March 23, 2020: A look at some financial assistance available during the coronavirus crisis Apple TV+ Oprah talks COVID-19, March 22, 2020. Harvard Business School, March 20, 2020: How Small Businesses Can Survive the Coronavirus Outbreak. Chicago Sun Times, March 18, 2020: Five ways you can help small businesses survive the coronavirus pandemic. Washington Post, March 17, 2020: Details on Proposed Federal COVID-19 Economic Stimulus Package
Abriendo Puertas | Opening Doors on Tuesday, December 8 at 6 p.m. with Jeri Toliver, Founder & CEO, Flyy Credit Solutions and Creator of the Flyy Credit University. This is your opportunity to level up your business credit for future financing, lines of credit, loans and more. Click here to register.
Mentorship and the Importance of Professional Associations in the Age of COVID-19. This ChiBizHub Conversation featured a panel of small business experts from the Tory Burch Foundation, 10,000 Small Businesses Goldman Sachs, and the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA) to discuss the importance of mentorship and professional associations in the age of COVID-19. Click here to watch! Business Credit vs. Personal Credit. This ChiBizHub Conversation featured a panel of Chicagoland business experts to discus the difference between business credit and personal credit. Panelists included Letticia Flores Poole, Regional Sales Manager, BMO Harris Bank; Kevin Smith, LLC, Chief Executive Officer, The E. Perspective; and Rogelio Lopez, Vice President and Business Banking Relationship Manager, PNC Bank. Click here to watch! Finding the Right Location for Your Business: Part 2. ThisChiBizHub Conversation featured a panel of business experts including Malcolm Crawford of AAABNA; Moses Hall of MoHall Commercial and Urban Development; and Juan Saldana of P3Markets. Click here to watch! Finding the Right Location for Your Business: Part 3. This ChiBizHub Conversation featured a panel of experts including Stacey Pits Caldwell of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, Diane Burnham of the South East Chicago Commission, and Erika Gonzalez of Southwest Development Corporation to share advice and tips on what to include in your business plan. Click here to watch. Finding the Right Location for Your Business: Part 1 - Where to Start Your Search. This ChiBizHub Conversation featured Robin Ficke, Research Director at World Business Chicago as she discussed how to find the right location for your business. Robin shared insight on tools regarding where to start your search. Click here to watch. -Click to download Robin's one-pager -Click to access the AllTransit tool -Click to access the Census Builder tool How to Register with the Better Business Bureau (BBB): Heather Newcomb, Director of Operations at the Better Business Bureau joined ChiBizHub for a special presentation for ChiBizHub Business Resource Providers on the benefits of registering with the BBB, including a step by step guide on how to get registered. Click here to watch. Insurance 101: This ChiBizHub Conversation featured Anna Maria Viti-Welch, President of Viti Companies; Bennie Currie, Principal, MBC Financial Strategies and Jose A. Suarez, ANIS, CRIS, CLCS, CAWWC, Account Executive, Assurance as they discussed the insurance necessary for running a small business. These experts provided an overview of what all small business owners - including you - need to know about obtaining business insurance. Click here to watch. Virtual Events: Our New Normal: This ChiBizHub Conversation featured a panel of small business experts including Hannah Fernandez of SCORE Chicago and ROI Funding, Darra Michelle of Darra Michelle Events and Alicia August-Wright of A'vents by August as they discuss how to effectively execute a virtual event. Click here to watch. Meeting Your Fundraising Goals During COVID-19: Emmanuel Garcia, Development and Communications Manager at Crossroads Fund joined ChiBizHub for a special presentation on how to raise funds during a pandemic.Emmanuel shared tips, advice and counsel for today's world. Click here to watch. Reopening: Protecting Your Employees and Yourself: This ChiBizHub Conversation featured Alberto Ortega, Workforce Strategy and Business Engagement, City of Chicago and Geraldine Sanchez Aglipay, Senior Outreach Manager, Small Business Majority as they discussed Phase Four of Chicago's reopening, along with tips and advice for safely reopening your business. Click here to watch. The Power Is In Your Pivot: Series 2: This webinar, was the second in a series that convened a panel of business owners and ChiBizHub resource providers to share insight on how they've pivoted their businesses during COVID-19. Panelists included Keeana Barber of WDB Marketing, David Lubin of University CoWork and Ebe Osai of SWM Planning. Click here to watch. Tips to Maximize Your Time: This ChiBizHub Conversation discussed tips on time management, adjusting priorities due to COVID-19 and advice on how being more effective at managing one's time can produce better results for your business. Panelists included, Sherise Turner, Founder of The Buddy Effect, Jessica Bahena, Founder of Latina Business Coach and Javier Haro, Founder of Food He.ro. Click here to watch. The Power Is In Your Pivot: Series 1: This webinar, was the first in a series that convened a panel of business owners and ChiBizHub resource providers to share insight on how they've pivoted their businesses during COVID-19. Panelists included Jerome Holston of the LGBT Chamber of Commerce of Illinois, Alfonso Barrera of Hispanic Pro Network and Amber Marie Green of One Business Chicago. Click here to watch. Seminario Web En Español Cómo Innovar En Este Tiempo, Para El Empresario Latinx. Tiene curiosidad sobre como innovar y cambiar el curso de su negocio durante este tiempo? Click here to watch. How to Better Network. We recently enjoyed a conversation with the La Villita Chamber of Commerce team talking about ways in which their chamber and Little Village businesses are sourcing available business loans and grants and how the chamber and area businesses are networking with their customers and peers. Click here to watch.
How to get your business organized so you can apply for grants, loans and more was the subject of our May 13 webinar. Click here to view. ChiBizHub joined Axion RMS for a webinar on "How to Cut Healthcare Expenses During COVID19". Click here to view. This was recorded on May 6. Shifting Your Business Online, was the topic of our May 1 webinar. ChiBizHub and City of Chicago Business Affairs & Consumer Protection welcomed 37 Oaks Commerce Consulting and Mid South Business Association and Resource Center. Click here to watch. On April 10 ChiBizHub & City of Chicago BACP hosted a PPP and Available Small Business Funding webinar featuring Manny Flores, CEO & President, SomerCor and Terrand Smith, Founder & CEO, 37 Oaks. Click here. - Download SomerCor Presentation here. - Download 37 Oaks Presentation here.
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Seminarios Web En Español Cómo Elegir la Ubicación Perfecta Para Su Negocio, Una Serie
Seminarios Web En Español: Temas de Financias para Dueños de Negocio
Operating Your Business in a COVID World: How to Strategize for Growth in a Low Touch Economy. World Business Chicago partnered with Jack Elzinga of the Stanford Graduate School of Business in a recent webinar titled "Operating Your Business in a COVID World: How to Strategize for Growth in a Low-Touch Economy". Click here to watch. BACP Small Business Expo: Making the Switch - Basic Steps to Make Your Business an E-Business: ChiBizHub presented at the BACP Small Business E-Expo. Click here to watch. Understanding the PPP Loan Forgiveness Process. This webcast was sponsored by the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC), Self Help Federal Credit Union, the Illinois Restaurant Association, theFlorida Restaurant and Lodging Association, the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA), The Resurrection Project, and the National Urban League. Click here to watch. On April 14 ChiBizHub's Jazmin Garcia joined Congressman Chuy Garcia for a webinar in Spanish talking about federal support and our ChiBizBub platform. Click here for link.
ChiBizHub and World Business Chicago have joined forces with Univision Chicago (WGBO-TV) to connect our small businesses and entrepreneurs with resources and subject matter experts managing your business during this challenging time. Our weekly segment "PoSible" airs every Monday morning, just after 6:00 a.m. in Primera Hora.
Recuerda que sale todos los días de 5 a 7 a.m. y también en su app de noticias que puede bajar aquí.
POSiBLE Chicago 2020 Revivelo Virtual Expo - watch the recordings here!
Jazmin Garcia, Program Manager, ChiBizHub.com was recently featured.
Andrew Fox, City of Chicago Business Affair: Your home is someone's workplace
Chef Gabriel Alvarez, Kennedy King College talks about the school's culinary program
Francisco Ramirez talks about the importance of social marketing for small business
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