Hello Nonprofit Colleagues and Supporters,
Thank you to all of you that signed our community letter to the Oregon Congressional Delegation. Nearly 350 organizations joined thousands of nonprofits from across the country to advocate for additional resources for our communities and nonprofits. The news from Washington D.C. is that the Trump Administration and U.S. Congress expect an agreement today (Monday) on an aid package of up to $450 billion, much of which will go to the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program, and add funds for hospitals and COVID-19 testing.
The U.S. Senate is scheduled for a pro forma session Monday, but no vote has been set. The U.S. House of Representatives announced it could meet as soon as Wednesday for a vote on the pending package, according to a schedule update from Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md. Bipartisan leadership is hopeful of a deal that could pass Congress quickly and get the SBA’s PPP back up by midweek.
The emerging accord links the Trump Administration’s effort to replenish the small business funding with Democrats’ demands for more money for hospitals and virus testing. It would provide $300 billion for the PPP, and $50 billion would be available for small business disaster fund. Additionally, it would bring $75 billion for hospitals and $25 billion for testing, according to those involved in the talks.
The PPP has been swamped by companies applying for loans and reached its appropriations limit last Thursday after approving nearly 1.7 million loans. That left thousands of small businesses and nonprofits in limbo as they sought help. An additional $50 billion in the evolving deal would go for disaster loans.
The PPP had a very bumpy rollout to say the least. We heard from many nonprofits that they received spotty information from their lenders or were requested the same information multiple times represented in different ways. Because the PPP relies on the lending institution’s processing capacity and internal protocols for clearance of an application before it is loaded into the SBA system, many nonprofits were left high and dry in round one. If your nonprofit did not get confirmation of a pending loan by receiving an etran number from your bank in the first round of PPP lending, we highly recommend that you contact your banker and get confirmation that all of the internal application processes required by your bank have been passed and that your loan is ready to upload the minute the SBA system is reopened.
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NAO Nonprofit Pulse Poll:
Paycheck Protection Program
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We would like to hear from you! Take this short NAO pulse poll on your experience with the Paycheck Protection Program! The results will be shared in our COVID-19 alert on Thursday.
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Oregon Legislature’s Emergency Board Scheduled to Meet this Week
Oregon Public Broadcasting
reports
top lawmakers in both parties say they anticipate the Legislature’s Emergency Board will meet next week to allocate tens of millions of dollars in emergency funds as the state awaits federal stimulus payments. Items likely to be up for consideration include direct assistance for renters, additional resources for homeless services and domestic violence prevention, help for small businesses and money for people awaiting unemployment insurance.
Oregon officials say they expect the state to receive around $2.45 billion in coronavirus aid money from the federal coronavirus relief package.
Most of that money will go to the state, the city of Portland and Multnomah and Washington counties.
According to the U.S. Treasury Department, the maximum amount Oregon can get to
pass to local jurisdictions is $1.6 billion
. The federal CARES Act requires the U.S. Treasury Department to make all of that money available to states by next Friday, said Oregon Legislative Fiscal Officer Ken Rocco.
The rest of the $2.45 billion will be spread across nearly four dozen other recovery programs covered by the federal CARES Act, according to the Governor’s office. They include child care and development block grants, which will receive around $38 million, and airports around the state, which are set to receive more than $140 million.
Schools and colleges,
hospitals
,
transit systems
, and large and
small businesses
are also among areas designated to receive support. The $2.2 trillion CARES Act, short for the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, was signed into law at the end of March.
Oregon’s $1.6 billion local government allocation is a cut of $150 billion being made available to state, local and tribal governments through the CARES Act’s Coronavirus Relief Fund. The money cannot be used to make up lost revenue, according to the U.S. Department of Treasury. It can only be used to cover unbudgeted expenses due to COVID-19 that occur between March 1 and December 30.
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Support Oregon’s Latinx community!
Latinx community-based organizations and leaders from across Oregon have come together to ensure that Latinx community members are getting the resources they need during and after this COVID-19 crisis. This emerging network, Oregon Latinx Leadership Network, is meeting regularly to share information and resources, build resilience, explore ways to partner with decision-makers, and act collectively.
This crisis demands that we move away from inequitable policies and practices. When we acknowledge that disparities still exist for black, indigenous, Latinx, immigrant, and other marginalized communities, we can swiftly adopt new approaches. These proposed responses will help all Oregonians get the resources they need to survive and thrive into the future.
I encourage you to sign on as allies to this community letter which will be shared with our public elected officials across Oregon this week!
ACTION STEP: We need you and/or your organization to sign on by Monday, April 20th by 5 p.m.
- Review the Call to Action here.
- Sign on and upload your organization’s logo here.
The hope of the Oregon Latinx Leadership Network is to show our strength in numbers and statewide solidarity!
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Upcoming online sessions for nonprofits:
Ask the Experts – Nonprofit Leaders’ Challenges/Priorities During COVID-19 Times, Tuesday, April 21, Noon – 1 p.m. PT:
Rick Jung, Executive Director of Portland Gay Men’s Chorus; Kecia Kubota, Executive Director of Camp Fire Central Oregon; and Janet Yousey, CEO of Shangri-la will discuss the challenges and priorities facing their organizations and other nonprofits in their communities during these unprecedented COVID-19 times. How are they dealing with key challenges such as financial, staffing, programming, supporting the communities they serve, etc.? What are some emerging strategies and priorities they expect they need to focus on in anticipation of Oregon’s “reopening” following the loosening of the current stay at home order. There’ll be a Q&A/discussion session where participants can share their thoughts as well in a peer-to-peer forum. Register for the session
here
.
COVID-19 Financial Tools and Resources for Oregonians: Experts weigh in on navigating current financial challenges for Oregon households, Thursday, April 23, Noon
–
1 p.m. PT:
Many Oregonians are now facing significant financial challenges and uncertainty due to COVID-19. A panel of Oregon experts will share tools, tips and resources to help individuals and families navigate these timely financial topics. Panelists include: Brian H Farr - Licensed Professional Counselor & Financial Therapist, Private Practice; James Boley - Consumer Lending: Student Lending Manager Sr., First Tech Federal Credit Union; Erin Moore - Education Program Manager, OnPoint Community Credit Union; and Nancy Yuill - Financial Education Outreach Coordinator, Oregon Division of Financial Regulation, Department of Consumer and Business Services. The session will be moderated by Kate Benedict - Executive Director, Financial Beginnings Oregon. Register for the session
here
.
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GOSW-NAO Resource Connector:
Grantmakers of Oregon and Southwest Washington
and NAO’s newly launched Resource Connector is being piloted with eligible 501(c)(3) NAO nonprofit members in its first cycle, currently running through June 30, 2020. The Resource Connector is a web-based portal that will facilitate matching a nonprofit's request with interested funders. To access the portal, NAO members can log on to their user account and visit the
Members Only Area
for further instructions.
Nominations for AFP of Oregon and SW Washington’s 2020 AFP Philanthropy Awards:
The
Association of Fundraising Professionals of Oregon and SW Washington
is inviting nominations for its 2020 AFP Philanthropy Awards. This is an opportunity to recognize leadership in philanthropy and volunteerism, and to pay tribute to those whose inspiring accomplishments have enriched our communities. Nominees who have impacted non-profit organizations in Oregon and Southwest Washington are eligible. The selections will be made in May and presented at the Philanthropy Awards Luncheon on November 19, 2020. More information can be found
here
.
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Jim White
Executive Director
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Thank you to the following SPONSORS and FUNDERS who are supporting NAO’s online COVID-19 events and communications during these challenging times. Their support is vital in helping NAO to bring much-needed resources and information to Oregon’s nonprofits – thank you.
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FRIEND PLUS PARTNER SPONSORS
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FOLLOW NAO ON SOCIAL MEDIA
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