The University of Georgia Small Business Development Center has scheduled an additional 10 webinars for April 14 and 15 to help small-business owners navigate the application process for federal assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Information about the webinars, including dates, times and login information, can be found at https://www.georgiasbdc.org/georgia-small-business-recovery.
More than 3,000 people participated in 16 webinars earlier this week. Since the webinars, 1,500 individuals have called or emailed the SBDC for information.
The informational website created by the SBDC in partnership with the Georgia Department of Economic Development and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs at Gov. Brian Kemp’s direction, has been visited 21,000 times since its launch last week.
SBDC staff based in 17 local offices around the state are following up on calls and emails from individual small businesses, attempting to identify and contact small businesses that might not be aware of the webinars or know where to seek assistance, and are doing remote one-on-one consulting as needed.
“Georgia’s small businesses are hungry for any information that will help them receive help through the CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act,” said UGA SBDC Director Allan Adams. “Traffic on our Facebook page has increased by 328 percent. We need to continue our efforts to reach every small business in the state to make them aware of the federal support.”
The CARES Act, signed into law on March 27, allocates $349 billion to help small businesses keep workers employed amid current circumstances. The CARES Act provides funding for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), modifies the existing Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program and provides immediate loan payment relief for current SBA 7(a) borrowers.
The website is updated frequently and includes the informational PowerPoint used in the webinars, a video recording of a webinar from earlier this week and an updated listed of frequently asked questions and responses. Find it at www.georgiasbdc.org/georgia-small-business-recovery.