Economic Assistance for Resiliency

To all of the small businesses in Harvard, regardless of whether you are bricks and mortar, or a fledgling home-based business, from our working farms to the iconic General Store, we are certain that in some way, large or small, the ongoing coronavirus emergency and other hazards and disasters has been very difficult for you. This page is intended to provide you with as much information as possible about resources that are available and other measures, to assist you during this crisis and beyond. Please see list below, not in any particular order or category, and if you have questions or want a consultation, please just give me a call at 978-456-4100 x.323 or cryan@harvard.ma.us anytime. Finally, Please let me know if you have tried any of the resources below and either found them useful or not. Best wishes to all.

ESSENTIAL SERVICES

If your business has been designated as an essential service by the State, let us know and we can try to obtain assistance for you through the Mass Office Business Development or MOBD. If you feel that while your business type has NOT been so designated but believe that it should be, please go to this LINK to request consideration.

Essential Services FAQ Page - From EOHED

HEALTH-RELATED BUSINSSES

If you are a health care business or provider looking for personal protection equipment (PPE) or a manufacturer interested in producing it, please go to the Massachusetts Life Scences supply hub page.

Health care providers of all kinds, throughout our region, are in desperate need of testing and medical equipment including N-95 masks, gloves, gowns, ventilators, and other needed personal protective equipment that can be used by front line medical staff and care providers. The Commonwealth has announced an online portal where individuals and companies can easily donate or sell personal protective equipment (PPE) to support efforts to address the COVID-19 outbreak in Massachusetts.

FARM-RELATED BUSINESSES

MDAR Covid-19 Resources for Agriculture

MDAR Covid-19: How and Where to Buy Local

American Farmland Trust Farmer Relief Fund - https://farmland.org/farmer-relief-fund/

FACT - The Food Animal Concerns Trust has Emergency Mini-Grants for livestock and poultry farmers.

FINANCIAL AND OTHER ASSISTANCE

Vendor Solicitation - Recently Harvard has received direct inquiries from private companies seeking exposure for their services related to Covid-19 and small business. Harvard does not endorse these companies but is posting them with the expectation that if you are interested, you will conduct your own due diligence. If you have any feedback related to these companies, please share with me.

• Annuity dot org - Offering assistance related to economic impact, small business help, federal benefits, etc. HERE and HERE

Sole Proprietor, Independent Contractor, Self-Employed Unemployment Insurance - Commonwealth of Massachusetts DUA

Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) Covid-19 Employers Resources Page

Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Rapid Relief & Resiliency Fund for Massachusetts

Blum Shapiro Updates for Massachusetts Businesses

Please check out the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation page for low interest loan program. The MOBD is also a general resource for small businesses and you can see their range of programs on their page HERE. Kevin Kuros is the Central Regional Director for MOBD and his contact information is kevin.j.kuros@mass.gov or 508-792-7506 ext.128. Furthermore, the State of Massachusetts has developed a COVID-19 Resources and Guidance for Businesses page here.

Business Loan Opportunity - The Main Street Lending Program

The Main Street Lending Program, a facility established by the Federal Reserve and administered by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, has been accepting applications from small and medium-sized businesses. The program is designed to help credit flow to medium-sized and small businesses that were in good financial condition, but now need loans to help until they have recovered from, or adapted to, the impacts of the pandemic. The program offers 4-year loans, with floating rates, and principal and interest payments deferred during the first year to assist businesses facing temporary cash flow interruptions. The loans range in size from $500,000 to $200 million – a wide range that may support a broad set of employers. An overview of the program can be found at this link. Main Street loans are not grants and cannot be forgiven. The loans are underwritten and approved by eligible lenders. Interested potential business borrowers can review the program parameters online at this link. The Federal Reserve is currently working to create the infrastructure to operationalize the program and is not yet accepting program documents; the website linked above includes an option for interested parties to sign up to receive email updates regarding the Main Street Lending Program, which will inform you when applications may be submitted. Thanks to Jason at the 495/Metrowest Partnership for this information. I recommend contacting Jason at jason@495partnership.org to request his very useful emails to be sent directly to you.

Massachusetts EOHED Covid-19 Related Resources and Guidance for Businesses - A good collection of resources including Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, SBA Express Bridge Loan Program, SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan Advance, SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), SBA Debt Relief, Emergency Order re: Essential Services and Assemblage Guidance, MEMA’s Emergency Operations Center’s Private Sector Hotline, Executive Office of Labor & Workforce Development Resources, and Administrative Tax Relief Measures.

Federal resources including the US Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program are listed on a seperate page HERE courtesy of the 495/Metrowest Partnership.

Senator Jamie Eldridge Covid-19 Relief Form

Central Mass Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC) coronavirus business assistance tool HERE.

Rep. Trahan CARES Act Summary of Assistance

GoFundMe - Help small businesses affected by the coronavirus.

Check out Bounce Back Devens and Bounce Back USA

NEW Supplied! Blog List of Grants for Minority-Owned Businesses

OTHER IMPORTANT RESOURCES FOR BUSINESS

Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce's Reopening Resources - Go HERE or contact Melissa Fetterhoff at the Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce at (978) 425-5761 or emailing melissa@nvcoc.com

Baker-Polito Administration Announces Four-Phase Approach to Reopening and Publishes Mandatory Workplace Safety Standards (New standards will apply to all workplaces when phased reopening begins). See graphic of the plan HERE. See the summary of Phase 2 Reopening requirements HERE. See the Safety Standards and Checklist for Retail Businesses HERE and Restaurants HERE

Covid Relief Coalition - Relief and legal assistance resources for Massachusetts small businesses and non-profits

National Main Street Center Resources

COVID-19 Entrepreneur Resource List - EforAll.org

Remote Work Association - Resources for both businesses and individuals

Mass Growth Capital Covid-19 Resources

Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network -  The MSBDC has resources on its page for small business during this emergency, including assistance in filling out applications (as others on this list have offered).

State of Massachusetts Covid-19 Guidance and Directives

Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce - The NVCOC has a comprehensive page of links to resources for businesses and others. Please find that page HERE. The Chamber is also conducting a survey of businesses that you can fill out HERE. We will also be surveying our own business community soon so look for that survey on this page soon. Finally, we encourage any Harvard business of any type or size to contact the Chamber related to membership or just resources to assist during these interesting days.

Harvard Town Planning Agora - a blog about planning in the Town of Harvard, providing ideas and links to other good articles.  I have added several posts about economic development and assistance during this pandemic crisis.

Intuit Quickbooks Small Business Relief Initiative

Arlington Chamber of Commerce Small Business Information and Guidance

MassHire North Central Workforce Board - As we all try to adjust to this COVID-19 environment, the MassHire North Central Career Center is here to help you find and hire candidates for essential job openings and to navigate related workforce issues. If you have current job openings, we can connect job seekers to those openings through our web site and our social media outlets. To send postings, we’ll need to know the link to your company’s career/hiring page and/or an email address to apply. Send your career site link to: spercifull@masshirenorthcentralcc.com  As we look ahead, MassHire will be here for you when the recovery and rebuilding begins and we look forward to helping you through any workforce issues during that phase of the COVID19 chapter.  It may take some time, but we'll get there. Please feel free to contact me with any questions. I look forward to helping you with any current workforce issues and with rebuilding as we start to emerge to normalcy.

495/Metrowest Partnership Resources - The Partnership has a running list of updates related to Covid-19 resources for businesses. Please find this helpful resource HERE.

Note that the 495/Metrowest Partnership and the MassHire Metro South/West Workforce Board holds weekly discussions related to critical issues to businesses. Topics include financial resources, programs and organizations available to help, unemployment and staffing issues, updates on pending legislation. These discussions are open to everyone and are held every Wednedsday afternoon starting May 6, 2020 at 1:00 pm via Zoom. Click on THIS LINK to sign up.

Massachusetts Attorney General (AG) Resources Page - for non-profits, small business, and municipalities

Mass AG Small Business Relief Partnership Grant Program - also for non-profits and small business

Tax-Exempt Payments for the Benefit of Employees - The COVID-19 pandemic having been declared a federal disaster makes it possible for an employer to make tax-free payments to or for the benefit of an employee, which under non-emergency circumstances would be subject to income taxes. These can include funds used to reimburse or pay reasonable and necessary personal, family, living, or funeral expenses incurred as a result of a qualified disaster (such as COVID-19). Bowditch & Dewey has published a summary of the provision, available online here.

Commonwealth Kitchen - Running a Food Business in the Face of COVID-19

NEW Score's List of Small Business Start-Up Resources - Score is a network of volunteer, expert business mentors, dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals. They are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Due to support from the SBA and the selfless contributions of volunteers, They are able to deliver most of their offerings at no cost.

RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau - A consumer-centric agency with resources to protect and assist citizens with financial issues. This link is specific to Covid-19 challenges.

NEW Massachusetts Housing Navigator Tool Launched - The Housing Navigator, a free online tool designed to make it simple to search for affordable rentals statewide, is now open to the public. Over 2,000 properties in 267 towns are listed on the new site. Working with owners and public sector partners, the Navigator is a database of income-restricted rentals across Massachusetts. Listings are shown only where there is reliable, actionable information for potential renters.

Click here to access the Navigator.

Founded as a nonprofit in 2019, Housing Navigator Massachusetts, Inc. works to address the digital divide around the choice of where to live. The purpose of the tool is to help renters and affordable housing owners find each other. From the Navigator: "Beyond easing the search for a home, our database of over 180,000 affordable housing units improves transparency, helping us all understand what affordable housing the state already has and what renters are looking for. The state’s limited dollars for affordable housing can be targeted to where they are most needed." Moving forward, the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development has mandated Navigator participation for the roughly 2,000 newly developed affordable units it funds annually. 

RESOURCES FOR NON-PROFITS, ARTS, AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS

Mass Cultural Council - Covid-19 Resources

Americans for the Arts

MassCreative Covid-19 Page

Creative Capital - List of Arts Resources During the COVID-19 Outbreak

Boston Foundation  |  Community Foundation of NCM  |  Greater Worcester Community Foundation