On March 13th, Governor Cooper requested that the Small Business Administration issue a disaster declaration in all counties in North Carolina to make SBA disaster assistance loans available to North Carolina’s small business owners dealing with the economic difficulties created by COVID-19. SBA approved the Governor’s request late Wednesday afternoon, issuing a disaster declaration for all 100 North Carolina counties.
Small business owners interested in SBA disaster assistance loans should call Business Link North Carolina (BLNC) at 1-800-228-8443
- BLNC staff are available Monday through Friday, 8:30 am – 4:00 pm. Se habla Español si es necesario.
- Call volume in BLNC is expected to be high, and callers may need to leave a message and await a returned call.
- BLNC counselors will gather basic information from callers and refer the case to the most appropriate resource – small-business experts with the either the Small Business Technology Development Center (SBTDC) or the state’s Small Business Center Network (SBCN) – for assistance.
- SBTDC and SBCN small-business counselors will assess needs – working, for example, to assist with the preparation of any SBA loan application materials that may be appropriate.