Resources for Help
AS SEEN IN THE RED ROCK NEWS
April 17, 2020
As the economic shutdown lingers, the Chamber continues to connect workers and employers to resources for immediate help and to prepare for a prosperous, sustainable future. You will find links and contacts for all resources listed below at sedonachamber.com/resources/.
SBA emergency loans of up to $10 million per business are available at 3.75 percent interest with no payments for one year and up to 30 years to repay with no prepayment penalty. Businesses may also apply for a $10,000 grant to cover business expenses, including payroll.
The Chamber, City of Sedona and the Yavapai College Small Business Development Center hosted a webinar to help businesses with the loan application. The webinar PowerPoint and full presentation are online. Businesses in Sedona can email Molly Spangler at the City of Sedona for additional assistance. Businesses outside the city should email Jeri Denniston at the SBDC for help. Their email addresses are included on the webpage above.
The SBDC has an excellent synopsis of the Economic Injury Disaster Loan, the Paycheck Protection Program and the Express Bridge Loan, also available online.
Local First Arizona is providing mini grants to small businesses ranging from $1000 to $2500. They also host a weekly webinar on the current landscape for small businesses. You will find more resources at the Arizona Commerce Authority website.
Non-profit organizations are eligible for SBA Disaster Loans and should contact Northern AZ SCORE and United Way of Yavapai County for assistance. Northern Arizona SCORE offers free advisory services to small businesses, too. They can help with strategies to survive the crisis and plan for recovery.
The federal government has included additional funding for state unemployment. You can apply for benefits at AZUI.gov. If you are laid off for coronavirus-related reasons, the Northern Arizona Council of Governments recommends entering COVID-19 as the ‘Reason for Separation.’ You can get help navigating these services by calling NACOG or visiting their web sites.
We’ve created a Sedona Emergency Community Resource Directory that has links to emergency food services.
Local resident Christina Gordon has established a web page to help displaced Sedona service industry workers. You can help a service worker by donating a tip or sign up to receive donated tips.
Arizona Together is a centralized location to find help or provide support. They are raising money for community organizations and providing information on volunteer opportunities.
At the Chamber, we are building a web page of businesses that sell products online to be published on VisitSedona.com and on our Travel Advisory page. If you sell tangible goods online, send your URL, an illustrative image and two sentences about your online inventory to pr@sedonachamber.com. We will let you know when the page is launched.
When businesses open their doors again, the world will be a different place. We are working hard to help businesses and residents power through the current down period and prepare for a strong recovery we know will come. Keep up with what we are doing and stay connected to services that can help you and your family at SedonaChamber.com.
–Jennifer Wesselhoff, President/CEO