Key Business Resources - EWDD Update March 26, 2021

Periodically, the City of Oakland’s Economic & Workforce Development Department (EWDD) will send important updates to businesses, nonprofits, independent contractors and our partner organizations who support them. These are just highlights of available resources. For information on all of the support programs available, please visit our Business & Worker Resource web page.

Testing remains important even as vaccines roll out. If you’re experiencing symptoms or have been in close contact with someone confirmed to have COVID-19, please visit Alameda County’s web page to find Community Testing Sites and Mobile Testing Sites.

As of Wednesday, March 24, when this email went for translation, Alameda County remains in the Red Tier in the State’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy. While Alameda County’s Tier Metrics are tracking in a positive direction, no date has been announced for when the County will move to the Orange Tier. The earliest Alameda County could advance to the next tier—orange—is March 31.

The People of Color Small Business Network will provide one-on-one business support at no cost to business owners who meet the following criteria:

Black, Latino/a/x, immigrant and undocumented business owners in East Oakland
Reside or operate a business in the following ZIP Codes: 94601, 94603, 94605 or 94621
Have had at least one sale
Brick-and-mortar OR home-based businesses
Can commit to a year-long program with regular check-ins

Legacy business owners (those who have been in operation for more than five years) who meet the above criteria may also be eligible for additional in-depth business advising.

Participating business owners will be provided with one-on-one support for up to a year to bolster their current offerings and address any resource gaps they may be experiencing. This could include marketing support, technical assistance with funding applications, introductions to people and organizations, support with research and more. This pilot – created in partnership between The Alliance for Community Development, The Greenlining Institute and Uptima Entrepreneur Cooperative – also provides grant funding to selected businesses who participate.

Apply by Thursday, April 1 at https://www.alliancecd.org/pocsbn.html. En Español.

The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program includes $15 billion in grants to for-profit and nonprofit shuttered venues, to be administered by the SBA’s Office of Disaster Assistance. The SBA announced they will begin accepting applications on Thursday, April 8.

Eligible entities must have been in operation as of February 29, 2020, and include:

Live venue operators or promoters
Theatrical producers
Live performing arts organization operators
Relevant museum operators, zoos and aquariums who meet specific criteria
Motion picture theater operators
Talent representatives

Eligible applicants may qualify for grants up to $10 million with $2 billion reserved for applicants with up to 50 full-time employees. Entities that apply for a PPP loan after December 27, 2020 can also apply for an SVOG, with the SVOG reduced by the PPP loan amount.

Grant funds may be used for specific expenses, such as payroll, rent and mortgage payments, utilities, protective equipment purchases for workers, debt payments, necessary business expenses and more. Register for the webinar to be held on Tuesday, March 30, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pacific Time. Questions? Email SVOGrant@sba.gov

The American Rescue Plan includes $28.6 billion in grants for independent food service or drinking establishments – including caterers, brewpubs, taprooms, and tasting rooms – that have 20 or fewer locations (as of March 13, 2020) and are not publicly traded.

The amount of the grant will vary depending on when the restaurant opened and the restaurant's revenue amounts, but will not exceed $10 million per restaurant group or $5 million per individual restaurant. Restaurants that opened during 2020 may apply for grants to cover eligible expenses incurred. Businesses that received a PPP loan will be eligible for these grants, however, the amount of PPP loans received in 2020 will be subtracted. Those businesses that receive or have a pending application for a Shuttered Venue Operators Grant are not eligible.

Grants may be used for:

Payroll and benefits (not including employee compensation exceeding $100,000/year)
Mortgage or rent
Utilities
Maintenance and construction to accommodate outdoor seating
Supplies (including PPE and cleaning materials)
Food and beverage expenses
Operational expenses
Sick leave
Other expenses

It has been reported that for the first three weeks of the application period, SBA will prioritize grants to small businesses owned and operated by women, veterans, and socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.

While no official timeline has been released, there are steps businesses should take now to prepare to apply once the application window opens.

Learn more at: https://www.oaklandca.gov/resources/restaurant-revitalization-fund-grant

The deadline to apply for the current round of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans is March 31, 2021. PPP loans provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll. For most borrowers, the maximum loan amount is 2.5 times their average monthly 2019 or 2020 payroll costs up to $2 million. For borrowers in the Accommodation and Food Services sector the maximum loan amount is 3.5 times their average monthly 2019 or 2020 payroll costs up to $2 million. SBA will forgive loans if all employee retention criteria are met, and the funds are used for eligible expenses.

President Biden announced additional program changes to make access to PPP loans more equitable and available to sole proprietors, independent contractors, and self-employed individuals; small business owners with prior non-fraud felony convictions or student loan debt delinquency; and non-citizen small business owners who are lawful U.S. residents by clarifying that they may use Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) to apply for the PPP.

Ask your banking partner if they are participating in the PPP program. If they are not participating, then connect with a lender using SBA’s Lender Match tool or this roster of participating local lenders.

On Wednesday, March 3, the California Office of the Small Business Advocate announced new funding rounds for the California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program. The program offers grant awards from $5,000 to $25,000.

Round 5 is currently accepting applications through Wednesday, March 31. Dates for Round 6 will be announced soon. If you applied in a previous round and were waitlisted, your application will be automatically moved into the next available round. New applicants can apply at CAReliefGrant.com.

Live webinars on how to apply and Q&A sessions continue through March 31. Recorded webinars are available in English and Spanish.

The Oakland Workforce Development Board has released the 2021-2024 Draft Local Plan that articulates how it will coordinate with local partners to ensure employment support services are delivered in a manner accessible to all. Comments on the draft are welcomed through April 19.

Use the online comment form
Email your comments to owdb@oaklandca.gov
Mail written comments to:
Lazandra Dial, Workforce Development Director
City of Oakland
250 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Suite 3315
Oakland CA 94612

Learn more about the Local Plan at: https://www.oaklandca.gov/topics/2021-24-local-plan

Visit the City’s Planning Resources for Business Re-Opening website for the latest information on resources to support re-opening, including:

Alameda County Employer Vaccine Notification Form
Alameda County Public Health Department’s Mask Required for Entry Posters
County screening guidance for employers in multiple languages
Self-assessment guidance for workers in multiple languages
ReOpening Guide signs by the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Oaklandish and the Economic Recovery Advisory Council, in four languages.
Alameda County Public Health Department’s COVID-19 Workplace Case and Contact Reporting Form
Information on Vaccine Planning for Alameda County

A list of up-to-date resources, including information about worker benefits, grants, loans and support services for small businesses, nonprofits and independent contractors, can be found on the City of Oakland’s Business & Worker Resource web page. The site is updated regularly as more information becomes available, so please check it often.

Take the COVID-19 Business Impact Data Survey, which serves as the City’s intake pathway to request one-on-one business assistance
Take our brief Business Re-opening and Recovery Survey to help the City gauge COVID-19 impacts to your business and what resources would help

Below is a sampling of upcoming workshops and webinars. See additional listings and check for last-minute additions at: https://www.oaklandca.gov/resources/webinars-for-businesses-nonprofits-and-independent-contractors

COVID-19 Weekly Updates Live Q&A
Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m.
NorCal SBDC
Free

PPP 2.0 2021 Foro Interactivo

Cada lunes y miércoles, 6 – 9 p.m.

California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Sin Costo Alguno

Serie de 12 Talleres para Emprendedores Hispanos Sin Costo Alguno

Cada martes hasta el 20 de Abril, 6 – 9 p.m.

Oakland Latino Chamber of Commerce

Sin Costo Alguno

Caltrans Statewide Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Summit
Tuesday, March 30, 12:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Caltrans
Free

Programa de subvención y otros recursos COVID-19 para las pequeñas empresas
Tuesday, March 30, 6 p.m.
Small Business Majority
Free

COVID-19: Commercial Tenants Guidance

Wednesday, March 31, 3 – 5 p.m.

Alameda County SBDC

Free

Tech Talk: Building Diversity in Tech
Tuesday, April 6, 10 – 11:30 a.m.
Oakland Workforce Development, Oakland Chambers of Commerce, Tech SF and Bitwise Industries
Free

Employee Retention Credit
Tuesday, April 6, 1:30 – 3 p.m.
NorCal SBDC
Free

Pivot to Product
Tuesday, April 6, 3:30 – 5 p.m.
Port Product Lab
Free

COVID-19: Alternative Forms of Payments
Wednesday, April 7, 1 – 3 p.m.
Alameda County SBDC
Free

2021 Business Survival: Learn The Secret to Money Management

Thursday, April 8, 1 – 2 p.m.

NorCal SBDC

Free

Creating an Environment for Connecting in a Post COVID World

Thursday, April 8, 3 – 5 p.m.

Alameda County SBDC

Free

Business Recovery Series: Business Lessons Learned During COVID

Tuesday, April 13, 9 – 10 a.m.

NorCal SBDC

Free