COVID-19 Critical Infrastructure Survey
MN Dept of Homeland Security & Emergency Management
During this unprecedented pandemic, and following the Presidential Emergency Declaration, the State of Minnesota activated its State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) to aid the Minnesota Department of Health in the statewide response to COVID-19. With the dynamic situation playing out throughout the country, it’s hard to anticipate what tomorrow will look like. What has become abundantly clear, is that no response would be effective without knowing what is going on with our private sector critical infrastructure partners. With that, Minnesota Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) has created a website with a form that asks a few questions that will help HSEM understand the current state of the private sector in Minnesota, as well as help inform and shape HSEM and state leadership interactions with the private sector.  
From MN DEED and Sleepy Eye EDA Coordinator,

Just a reminder of the special DEED business finance tools you and your businesses can use to help get through these challenging times:

  • Small Business Emergency Loans ($30 million - Executive Order 20-15)
  • Businesses use DEED's list of certified lenders
  • Applications to become a certified nonprofit lender will be available on Monday (3/30)
  • Loan Guarantees ($10 million - passed by Legislature this past week)
  • Program information - including lender enrollment applications - will be available on Monday (3/30)
  • Please raise awareness of this program with your local lenders
  • More flexibility on the use of RLFs funded by state MIF repayments (Exec. Order and Legislation)
  • Program flexibility is available through June 30, 2020
Also, please also check  out the SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program:
Important Update on Applying for Unemployment Insurance Benefits
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Minnesota's Unemployment Insurance team members are processing more applications for unemployment benefits than ever before. It is our top priority to process applications efficiently and effectively, and to ensure that we can deliver for Minnesotans in this time of need.
To ensure our system can handle the increased activity we are experiencing, we are asking that *new* unemployment insurance applicants apply online on an assigned day, based on your social security number (SSN).
If you need to apply for unemployment benefits for the first time, please refer to the schedule below to learn when you are scheduled to apply. You will only be allowed to apply on your assigned day - or on Thursday or Friday if you missed your assigned day.
Application Schedule
The table below lists the day and time to start an application based on the last digit of your SSN. For example: a person with the SSN XXX-XX-XXX6 would apply on Wednesday.
If the last digit of your   SSN is:  
Day of week you should apply online:  
0, 1 or 2
Monday
3, 4 or 5
Tuesday
6, 7, 8 or 9
Wednesday
Any number
Thursday
Any number
Friday
Important Things to Know
  • The date of application will not affect the amount of benefits you will be paid.
  • If you already have a Unemployment Insurance account, you can still login anytime.
  • Please do not call the Unemployment Insurance office to ask about the status of your application. Your online account will be updated when more information is available.
  • If you have questions please visit the Need to Know page on the UIMN.org site.
Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation Launches Emergency Child Care Grant Program in southern Minnesota at the request of Governor Walz
Licensed family- and center-based providers caring for children of emergency and essential workers are invited to apply for grants

SMIF will award grants of up to $1,000 to eligible licensed family child care programs and grants of up to $3,000 for licensed center-based programs in SMIF's 20-county region . To be eligible, providers must be caring for the children (ages birth to 5 years) of parents or guardians who are working in government-identified critical sectors who are exempt during this time from the stay at home order.*