• *NEW* The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) allows small and midsize employers, and certain governmental employers, to claim refundable tax credits that reimburse them for the cost of providing paid sick and family leave to their employees due to COVID-19, including leave taken by employees to receive or recover from COVID-19 vaccinations. The ARP tax credits are available to eligible employers that pay sick and family leave for leave from April 1, 2021, through September 30, 2021. Learn more about how to claim the tax credit here.

• *NEW* Washington State Department of Commerce is partnering with ArtsFund to center a grant program on arts, cultural, science, and heritage organizations. Grants will also be awarded to nonprofit neighborhood organizations, and sports and recreation organizations. These pandemic recovery grants will be administered by ArtsFund to Washington nonprofits. Grants will be distributed to nonprofits statewide in three focus areas listed on this website. All applications received by the May 24 deadline will be considered. Click here to be notified of application opening on May 10.

• *NEW* The City of Seattle's Office of Economic Development is now offering consulting for food manufacturing and accounting services. Services are free for business < 5 employees and < 80% AMI (about $70k for a household of two).
• Food manufacturing consulting will support for businesses who are looking to start or expand a packaged food business, catering operation, or operate a farmers’ market concession. For food manufacturing consulting, contact: Jennifer Tam, Restaurant Advocate, Jennifer.Tam@seattle.gov. 
• Accounting consulting will in support small businesses as they put their financials together for all the grant apps and helping set up business accounting systems. For accounting consulting, contact AJ Cari, Business Advocate, AJ.Cari@seattle.gov. 

• Commute Seattle's ORCA for Business provides employees access to Seattle’s growing public transit system. The service offers flexible solutions for businesses of all sizes within any industry. Small or medium-sized business that have never offered subsidized transit benefits before may be eligible to participate in a Small Business Incentive that offers a 50% rebate on the first year of your program(of the employer’s contribution) of up to $10,000 when investing in a new ORCA Business Passport program. This is available for a limited time and open only to businesses new to commuter benefits. Learn more about ORCA Business programs here or set up a short consultation by emailing ORCA@commuteseattle.com

• Recently, President Biden signed the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Extension Act into law extending the PPP deadline from March 31 to May 31, 2021. The bill also provides that the Small Business Administration would have until June 30, 2021 to process lender applications. Read the full statement from SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman about how this is providing additional critical relief to small businesses. Get technical assistance, find a lender, and more at SmallBizHelpWA.com.​ Need help with applying for PPP, SVOG, or understanding what federal resources are available to you and your small business? Contact Seattle Office of Economic Development at 206-684-8090 or OED@seattle.gov. For more information, click here.

• The U.S. Small Business Administration announced extended deferment periods for all disaster loans, including the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, until 2022. This means:
• All SBA disaster loans made in calendar year 2020, including COVID-19 EIDL, will have a first payment due date extended from 12-months to 24-months from the date of the note.
• All SBA disaster loans made in calendar year 2021, including COVID-19 EIDL, will have a first payment due date extended from 12-months to 18-months from the date of the note.

• Do you and your family need financial support to successfully isolate or quarantine? Anyone living in King County who tests positive or is exposed to COVID-19 may be eligible to receive a one-time household bill payment of up to $1,500 to help pay their current rent, mortgage, utility, water, phone and internet bills. The Household Assistance Request program is funded by the Department of Health and will continue for as long as funds are available. No application is necessary. Those with a recent positive COVID-19 test or who are identified as a close contact of a positive case will receive a call or text from a King County contact tracer within five days. This will start the enrollment process to determine eligibility. Visit the King County website to learn more.

• King County is providing reopening business tools for Phase 3 guidance and requirements. The new tools include a safe work plan template, owners guide to reopening and reopening checklist. Businesses can access these resources below:
• King County Safe Start: Businesses and Workplaces
• City of Seattle: COVID-19 Reopening Business 

• The Association of Washington Businesses has created a hub where businesses can get access to PPE and other resources to assist with reopening. The site is free to use and available to all Washington businesses.

• The Alliance for Pioneer Square has introduced a section on our website to help provide businesses guidance and resources for best practices as they prepare to reopen their doors to customers.

• *NEW* The Pioneer Square BIA is excited to announce the opening of the 2021 Inspiration Fund. This year, the BIA is matching volunteer hours and/or funding up to $5,000 for community members to implement projects and programs making a positive impact in the Pioneer Square neighborhood. Applications will be accepted until May 31st, 2021 at midnight. Learn more and apply here.

• *NEW* Join the Alliance for Pioneer Square at a virtual information session on Friday, May 21st from 1:30 to 2:30pm where we will be presenting on the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on Pioneer Square, relief and resources available to those impacted by the crisis, and the Alliance’s response to support our neighborhood. RSVP here. Find previous meeting slides and webinar recordings here.

• *NEW* Join the Alliance for Pioneer Square and Pioneer Square Preservation Board for an update on the process of altering the Pioneer Square Preservation District guidelines on Tuesday, May 27th from 12:00 to 1:00pm. RSVP here. Learn more about the current Pioneer Square Preservation District guidelines here.

• *NEW* Sound Transit is seeking input from community members regarding how they should respond to funding challenges. Share which transit projects are most important to you by April 30th. Share your feedback here.

• *NEW* Seattle Department of Neighborhoods is looking to commission writers, artists, photographers, or other creatives to participate in a new storytelling project called Seattle Histories. This series focuses on the people and places that have shaped Seattle’s past and led us to the present. In partnership with the Historic Preservation Program, we are highlighting communities and stories that have not been prioritized in mainstream media or have been left out of the historical narrative. We encourage people who have connections to Seattle’s Black, Indigenous, or people of color communities to submit ideas for creative work.  Submit a statement of interest by May 17, 2021 here.

• 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.