Heart of Illinois Reopening Plan
Yesterday officials released details of the Heart of Illinois Reopening Plan. The plan covers 11 counties centered around Peoria’s medical system and sets out a path towards reopening the economy while ensuring proper monitoring and control of coronavirus. Read the plan
here
. A summary slide deck that was used at the press conference can be found
here
.
LISC Small Business Relief Grants - Round 3 Open
Applications are open for the next round of LISC
Small Business Relief Fund. Grants of up to $10K are available for
small businesses impacted by Covid-19. Minority- and women-owned and led enterprises in underserved areas are especially encouraged to apply. More
here
.
Emergency Grants for Hispanic Business Owners
Hello Alice has designated a portion of its $10,000 emergency grants exclusively for Hispanic business owners. Funding is being distributed immediately to founders impacted by the coronavirus as part of our broader mission to ensure Business for All. All applicants will receive access to resources and ongoing support from the Hello Alice community. Application support is offered in Spanish. More information
here
.
Get Hired Illinois
Today, Gov. Pritzker announced a joint IDES and DCEO program to connect Illinois residents with jobs. This new online portal, entitled
Get Hired Illinois
, serves as a hub for jobs, job fairs and skills training. Employers looking for employees can also use this program to find Illinois residents looking for work. This portal can be accessed at
Illinois.gov/gethired
.
Paycheck Protection Program Still Available
When the federal government relaunched its small business aid program on April 27 with an additional $310 billion, lenders and business advocates warned the money would dry up within a few days. Nearly two weeks later, about 40% of the money remains available, according to figures released by the Small Business Administration. More from the Wall Street Journal
here
.
Updated Guidance on Paycheck Protection Program
From
IMA
: Yesterday, the Small Business Administration offered
additional guidance
on the PPP program as it pertains to an evaluation of an applicant’s economic need for a loan. Under the new SBA guidance, businesses receiving less than $2 million in PPP loans will be eligible for a safe harbor provision meaning that their loan request was deemed to have been made in good faith and
will not be subject to further review
. Businesses with loans of more than $2 million “may still have an adequate basis” for a loan but the SBA will be able to review their loan application to determine the need for the loan. If the SBA determines that the applicant should not have received a PPP loan, then the SBA will seek reimbursement of the loan (
question 46
).
Ameren Assistance for Customers
Ameren Illinois has suspended service disconnections and will be forgiving late fees, for non-payment, through July 1st. In addition, Ameren Illinois has other resources available to help Ameren customers needing assistance with paying their bill:
Save the Table
Save the Table is an effort by a local digital marketing company to support local restaurants by allowing them to list the restaurant and it's menu so customers can find and order online. More
https://savethetable.org/
Chris Setti
Chief Executive Officer
Greater Peoria Economic Development Council