COVID-19 Loans & Grants

With state-mandated lockdowns and business closures, small business owners across the country are struggling to pay employees, rent, overhead costs and more. Now more than ever, it is important to be wary of predatory lenders as you seek out capital to keep your business afloat. Our guide to avoiding predatory lending includes guidelines for applying for PPP and EIDL, a checklist to determine if a loan is predatory and an outline of the Small Business Borrowers' Bill of Rights.

This document has been translated into Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Burmese, Khmer, Hmong, Bangladeshi, Nepali, Bhutanese, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Thai, Lao, Tagalog, Samoan, Tongan and Marshallese in partnership with the National Coalition for Asian Pacific Americans Community Development with a grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

Below is a list of lending institutions that we believe are accepting PPP applications from new clients, including both first-time PPP applicants and "Second Draw" applicants. We advise checking with your existing bank to see if they are offering PPP, or using the SBA’s lender search feature to find a lender near you. We are updating this list daily; however, this list is not exhaustive, nor are we able to verify at this time that the institutions listed below are successfully processing PPP applications. We will update this list as we learn more. For any errors or omissions, please contact resources@venturize.org.

Nonprofit lenders

RCAC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides training, technical and financial resources and advocacy so rural communities can achieve their goals and visions. RCAC’s Small Business Loan Program assists businesses to retain or create jobs and thus improve the economic condition of rural communities. This program offers short-term loans (up to $250k) for working capital and lines of credit as well as long-term loans for real estate and equipment. Most small businesses rely on lenders to provide the capital they need for acquisitions, capital improvements, business expansions and to bridge cash flow gaps. Without loans, many small business owners would be unable to realize their dreams of running their own business or expanding their operations. RCAC’s business loans are tailored to the needs of the particular business with flexible terms and requirements.

Venturize is partnering with Kiva to bring affordable capital to small business owners during these challenging times. Kiva provides loans of $1,000-$15,000, zero-percent interest and no fees. There is a 6 month grace period and then fixed monthly principal payment (12-36 months). Funds are raised through community-backed crowdsourcing. Kiva will offer Venturize-referred applicants priority review if you apply through this link and mark "Venturize" as the answer to "how did you hear about Kiva." 

To apply for the Support Latino Business Impact Fund, you must register in the Latino Business free directory. Once you're registered, Support Latino Business will send information about the application process.  Support Latino Business will provide grants ranging from $1,000 – $5,000 to help support our Latino Business community who have been affected by COVID. 

To be eligible, business must be a majority of Latino/x-owned (51% or more) and have been in business for at least one year. Grant funds must be used to directly support the applicant’s business. The SLB Board will review initial applications and select finalists, who will enter a public voting period.

The application process opens on Monday, September 21, 2020.

Round 5 application period is now closed. Register to be notified of the next round opening August 31st.
Grants to small business owners to help meet their most immediate needs. Eligible expenses include: paying rent and utilities, meeting payroll, paying outstanding debt to vendors, upgrading technology infrastructure and other immediate operational costs.

NIVA has assembled the Implementation Task Force and is working with the Small Business Administration as they promulgate regulations - we are working hard to make sure that NIVA members receive the help they need via this program. We seek to ensure the emergency relief is dispersed as Congress intended, that the instructions and process to apply for grants ensure that the process is implemented accurately, fairly and as expediently as possible.

Since it could take many weeks, even months for the funding to flow, the NIVA Emergency Relief Fund, with The Giving Back Fund as its 501(c)3 fiscal sponsor, continues to raise money to assist the venues at greatest risk of permanently going under as we wait for the grants to be issued.

Applications will open in August!
Facebook is committing $100 million to the Black business community in the US. This includes $25 million in support of Black content creators and $75 million in grants of cash and ad credits to support Black-owned small businesses and nonprofits supporting the Black community.

The Amber Grants began in 1998. It was launched by WomensNet to honor the memory of a young woman, Amber Wigdahl, who died at the age of 19 – unable to fulfill her entrepreneurial dreams. In 2020, the Amber Grant has been doubled to $4,000. Earn any Amber Grant through November, 2020, and you’ll be eligible for an additional $25,000 grant at the end of this year.

The SBA has issued additional guidance around how self-employed individuals and independent contractors can qualify for the Paycheck Protection Program.

325 U.S. community foundations in all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, have created relief funds to support those affected by COVID-19, directing critical relief to local nonprofits and partnering with local governments and health organizations to help contain its spread.

A list of crowdfunding platforms that have created special COVID-19 relief initiatives for U.S.-based campaigns.