COVID-19 Weekly Update: March 17, 2020
Pioneer Square Business Stakeholders-

The Alliance for Pioneer Square is working diligently to support the Pioneer Square community through the COVID-19 virus outbreak. This is the second of a series of weekly messages to the Pioneer Square community to ensure all are well informed of the impacts and resources available pertaining to the COVID-19 virus outbreak. Each week, we will provide a recap of the past week's COVID-19 news and provide a forecast of impacts to come. Find the last week's message, sent on March 11th, here.

What's Happening


Mayor Jenny A. Durkan announced today that starting this afternoon the Seattle Department of Transportation is converting on-street parking spaces near restaurants to temporary loading zones to facilitate curbside meal pickup. You can also read the full news release here.

Financial Resources

  • SBA Offers Disaster Assistance to Washington Small Businesses Economically Impacted by the Coronavirus (COVID-19)
  • Applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information and download applications here. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance.

  • 2020 Emergency Fund for Businesses Impacted by COVID-19
  • Approximately $1.5 million is available for the City of Seattle Small Business Stabilization Fund, an emergency fund that provides working capital grants in amounts up to $10,000 to qualifying small businesses. Eligibility criteria and how to apply is here.

  • WaFd Bank is offering a 5-year business line of credit with 90 days interest free to businesses affected by COVID-19. Businesses who have seen a 10% or greater drop in revenues can apply to receive up to $200,000 on business lines of credit with 90 days interest-free. Additionally, WaFd will be expediting the process for lines up to $30,000. Click here for more details and access to the online application.

  • Facebook is offering $100m in cash grants to small businesses experiencing disruptions from the global outbreak of COVID-19. Learn more here.

  • Revenue will work with businesses that cannot file or pay their taxes on time due to the COVID-19 outbreak, including excise and late payment penalty waivers. Click here to learn more about tax relief.

Work and Business Resources

  • Seattle Office of Arts & Culture staff have compiled a resource guide to assist and support the creative and cultural community during this challenging time. Their list of Resources for Artists and Organizations Amid COVID-19 includes helpful links and information about: webinars, fundraising, emergency grants, and more.

  • The City of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development is committed to responding to and supporting our small businesses to mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19. As this is a rapidly developing issue, OED will be holding weekly calls to share new developments, hear about the impacts you are experiencing, and answer your questions. Please join OED every Wednesday, from 11:00am- 12:00pm. A recording and notes from each webinar will be posted to OED's Bottom Line blog.

  • The Alliance for Pioneer Square has compiled a list of resources and tutorials on “How to Create an Online Store” and “How to Partner with Third-Party Delivery Companies”. Find the full list here.

Neighborhood Advocacy



The COVD-19 virus outbreak is an evolving, unprecedented situation, with new information coming to light hourly. Between weekly messages please review our website, which features an in-depth series of resources intended to assist small business owners, managers, and employees impacted by the COVID-19 virus crisis, along with public health recommendations. We will revise this page as more information becomes available, so check back often.

Please let us know how we might best support you. Feel free to contact any of us with comments, questions, suggestions, or concerns.
Sincerely,

The Alliance Team

ALLIANCE FOR PIONEER SQUARE