New York Forward Loan Fund (NYFLF) Announced

The New York Forward Loan Fund (NYFLF) is a new $100 million economic recovery loan program aimed at supporting New York State small businesses, nonprofits and small landlords as they reopen after the COVID-19 outbreak and NYS on PAUSE. Applications open at noon on Tuesday.

The NYFLF targets the state’s small businesses with 20 or fewer full-time equivalent (FTE) employees (90% of all businesses), nonprofits and small landlords that have seen a loss of rental income. The NYFLF is specifically timed to support businesses and organizations as they proceed to reopen and have upfront expenses to comply with guidelines (e.g., inventory, marketing, refitting for new social distancing guidelines) under the New York Forward Plan.  

Pre-application for the New York Forward Loan Fund will be open on May 26, 2020 at Noon EDT. Priority will be given to industries that have been reopened. This is not a first-come, first-served loan program. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis as regions and industries reopen.
  • Small businesses and nonprofits must employ 20 or fewer full-time equivalent (FTE) employees; 
  • Small businesses must have gross revenues of less than $3 million per year;
  • Nonprofits must provide direct services and have an annual operating budget of less than $3 million per year; and
  • Have not received a loan from either SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) or SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) for COVID-19 in 2020.
Sales Tax Deadline Pushed to June 22
New York State announced on Thursday that sales tax interest and penalty relief are being extended through June 22, 2020. The state previously provided relief through May 19 for returns due March 20.
The format of the webinar will be a 45 minute presentation of information followed by a 15 minute Q&A. Please email any questions you may have for our presenters in advance at the button below.
L.E.A.R.N: COVID-19 Business Reopen and Recovery: Health and Safety
Wednesday, May 27 | Noon - 1 p.m.

The next discussion in our series of webinars will focus on Health and Safety, and presenting will be  Lilly Jan, Lecturer of Food and Beverage at the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business and Patrick Moylan, Owner of Moylan Safety Services. Our presenters will focus specifically on reopening guidelines and best practices as they affect Office, Retail and Food and Beverage workplaces.

For this presentation, we anticipate that some New York businesses will have begun reopening, but most still face strict limitations. The webinar will emphasize best practices toward safely reopening businesses while avoiding undue risks.
Economic Development Resources Partners Release Summary Guidance Document

Area economic development service providers including the Tompkins Chamber & Visit Ithaca have created a list of resources to support your reopening and recovery goals. Please click below to review the resources.
Congratulations to our Member of the Week!

For their support of our community and continued engagement and education of children and their families, even at a time when they cannot invite visitors to their beautiful garden.

Want to nominate a member doing outstanding work during a time of crisis? Email Jennifer.

Thanks to Visions Federal Credit Union for their support of this program.
NYS has Issued Guidance by Industry Sector for Phase I Reopening
We will share Phase II guidance as soon as it is released.

Industry Guidelines for Phase One of re-opening are now posted online. In addition, the site includes a link for business to read and affirm detailed guidelines for each industry sector, and a printable business safety plan template. Please note: Businesses that are operating now as essential businesses still need to read and affirm their guidance and print/utilize the safety plan template .

Each re-opening business must develop a written Safety Plan outlining how its workplace will prevent the spread of COVID-19. A business may fill out the template below to fulfill the requirement, or may develop its own Safety Plan. This plan does not need to be submitted to a state agency for approval but must be retained on the premises of the business and must made available to the New York State Department of Health (DOH) or local health or safety authorities in the event of an inspection.

The Chamber strongly recommends reading/digesting the guidance, ensuring that you are prepared for reopening, and having your plan in place and ready to share - prior to taking any steps towards reopening. Do not submit the attestation until your business is ready to adhere to the guidelines. Any non-compliant businesses will potentially put their own business at risk by opening prior to meeting the guidelines - and be aware that you could have complaints filed against you for doing so.

Business owners should refer to the State’s industry-specific guidance for more information on how to safely operate; a summary of this guidance and industry sector breakdowns is included below.
Please Note : Essential Businesses that have been operating will need to read and affirm the appropriate industry sector guidance and utilize the safety plans to continue operating.

> We are awaiting further guidance for any industry sectors not represented in the Phase I list, and will share it in our next update.
> Additionally, information for Phase II industry sectors will be shared as soon as it is available. Beginning to use these guidelines/plans to formulate your plans is strongly encouraged.
Tompkins County Moving Forward Site has Signage for your Business

Having clear messaging and signage for your customers and employees is important as you move to the next phase of business operations, and bringing folks back into your workplace.

The County also continues to offer weekly Q & A sessions for the community, and invites businesses and organizations to attend and submit questions in advance. You can watch yesterday's session below.
Thank you to everyone who supported the Chamber Foundation's Giving is Gorges Campaign - we raised nearly $2,000 together!
Still have questions?
 Our team is here to help.
 
Just call the Chamber at 607-273-7080, or email us at info@tompkinschamber.org . For specific need areas:
 
Ritza Francois, Membership Referrals & Support
Carly Hansen , Operations/Account Assistance
Diane Hemly , Bookkeeper - AP/AR Questions
Ryan Shehu , COVID-19 Resource Coordinator for Chamber/CVB
Jennifer Tavares, Financial/Economic Support - Communications & PR
David Walton, Event & Program/Sponsor Inquiries

* Our offices will be closed on Memorial Day. Our team is on reduced hours, so please be patient if our response time is longer than usual.