Resources For Local Businesses Needing Help During Coronavirus

Local businesses have been hit particularly hard during the coronavirus crisis, and finding the best ways to keep your restaurants, stores and companies afloat might feel like a daunting task right now.

But you are not alone in this: Patch is making it our mission to support the local businesses in our communities, and we’ve created this guide as a way to help you navigate these uncertain times.

Whether you’re looking for free exposure for your company, direct lines of communication with your customers or links to apply for small-business loans, consider this article your go-to coronavirus resource in the upcoming weeks.

Be sure to bookmark this page and continue to check back, as we’re constantly updating it with new information, resources and tips for local businesses.

Help From Patch

Let People Know You’re Open For Business

Your neighbors and local customers want to support you during these uncertain times, but they can only shop with you if they know you’re open. Does your grocery have in-demand items in stock? Is your restaurant still delivering meals around town? Click here to find the form for your town, fill out all of your information and Patch will make sure readers in your area know you’re up and running.

Don’t see your community on the list? Reach out to suggest@patch.com to request that Patch create an open-or-closed business directory for your town.

Post Classifieds In Your Neighborhood

Patch’s Classifieds section is a great place to announce that you have items for sale, goods you want to donate, services you’re offering or any other promotions your business is running. If you’re looking to hire extra help over the next few weeks, post a job listing in your local Classifieds section — chances are that talented people in your area are looking for work. As always, it's free to post in your home community. Click here to start posting.

Free boost: Patch is here to help our local business partners during the coronavirus outbreak. For a limited time, we’ll give your classifieds “Featured” status and prime placement on Patch for up to one week for free.

Learn how to post a local classified on Patch

Host Virtual Events To Connect With Local Customers

By hosting virtual events, business owners can stay connected to their customers while building trust and brand loyalty in their towns. Restaurant owners can stream cooking demonstrations for people at home. Local painting studios can hold virtual paint nights for their communities. Pet shelters can show off their furry friends online. As always, it’s free to post in your community. Click here to start posting.

Free boost: Just like for classfieds, to help your local businesses, we’ll give any events you post “Featured” status and prime placement on Patch for one week for free.

Learn how to post a virtual event on Patch

Share Quick Updates With Your Community

You can use Patch’s Neighbor Posts section to communicate and connect with your community in these uncertain times. Our moderation team is usually stricter about not allowing purely promotional posts in this section, but we know that many local businesses are struggling right now, so we want you to be able to get the word out to your community about how they can support you.

In this section, you can ask and answer questions about the unfolding situation; give tips on store supplies, wait times, etc.; and share other real-time updates about your business (hours, delivery options and more). Click here to start posting.

Learn how to use the Neighbor Posts section

Patch Local Business Features

In an effort to help local businesses connect with customers and share their experiences during these difficult times, Patch is offering to write a handful of Q&A articles about restaurants, stores and other local businesses in order to shine a spotlight on these companies. For your business to be considered, please answer all of the questions in this form.

Patch will publish as many local business features as we can on a rolling basis, and we will email you a link to the article about your business if we publish it.

Note: You might see a different form on your local Patch about which local businesses are open. Be sure to fill that out as well, so we can get the word out about your business in multiple places on Patch.

Tell Patch What You Need

We’ve already heard from hundreds of local business owners across the country on how they’re struggling and what they need most during the coronavirus crisis. What other ways can Patch help? Let us know in this form.

National And State Aid

U.S. SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan Assistance

During the current coronavirus crisis, the U.S. Small Business Administration has made small-business owners eligible to apply for low-interest loans to help offset economic injury caused by the coronavirus crisis.

From the SBA:

The SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans offer up to $2 million in assistance and can provide vital economic support to small businesses to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue they are experiencing.

These loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the disaster’s impact. The interest rate is 3.75% for small businesses. The interest rate for non-profits is 2.75%.

The SBA offers loans with long-term repayments in order to keep payments affordable, up to a maximum of 30 years. Terms are determined on a case-by-case basis, based upon each borrower’s ability to repay.

For more information about the SBA’s disaster assistance, click here.
To apply for a COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan, click here.

The SBA is also overseeing the $349 billion Paycheck Protection Program, created to help small businesses with 500 or fewer employees pay bills and keep people hired during this time. Get more details about the Paycheck Protection Program here.

IRS Coronavirus Tax Relief

The IRS has created a page to help taxpayers and businesses impacted by the coronavirus crisis and provide breaking updates. It has already announced that the deadlines to file and pay federal income taxes have been extended to July 15, 2020, and will post other updates as they become available.

For more coronavirus relief information from the IRS, click here.

Qualified Disaster Payments To Employees

The BDO United States has posted information related to paying your employees:

“Now that the COVID-19 has been declared a national emergency, Internal Revenue Code Section 139 can be used to allow employers to make tax-free payments or reimbursements to employees as 'qualified disaster payments.'”

Click here for frequently asked questions about how employers can use Section 139 immediately to help employees cope with COVID-19.

State and Local Resources

The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) currently lists resources for 26 U.S. states and is constantly updating as new information comes in. You can also visit ICIC’s page to find webinars for businesses affected by the coronavirus crisis, along with a list of resources including:

• Charity foundations helping businesses
• Small-business grants
• Mission-based lenders and business advising centers

For the ICIC’s full list of resources, links and webinars, click here.

Get Community Support

Make Online Gift Cards Available

Customers can support temporarily closed or limited businesses by purchasing gift cards that can be redeemed once those businesses are fully operational again. If you already offer online gift cards, make them more prominent on your website. Or, sign up your company to sell gift cards on platforms such as Kabbage, which will give you a custom gift card link to share with customers.