Emergency Loans Now Available for R.I. Small Businesses

Emergency Loans Now Available for R.I. Small Businesses

Yesterday the U.S. Small Business Administration approved Governor Raimondo's application for assistance and will offer low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital up to $2 million to Rhode Island small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).
 
Applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information, and download applications at: https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela [r20.rs6.net].
 
Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. If a paper forms are preferred, they can be accessed here [r20.rs6.net].
 
If your business has questions regarding SBA loans and access to capital, please call RI Commerce's Small Business Hotline at (401) 521-HELP or e-mail info@commerceri.com. 

Free Digital Tools including Video Conferencing for R.I. Businesses
Microsoft has agreed to provide their Office 365 E1 program for free for six months to all R.I. employers.
 That includes web-based Microsoft Office applications, resources to support telecommuting such as meetings and instant messaging, as well as remote file sharing.
 This offer extends to businesses of all sizes — whether you have one employee or one thousand employees

To learn more on how to access these offerings, visit the dedicated webpage here [r20.rs6.net].
 
Other companies have also made a number of tools available:
 
·     Cisco is offering free WebEx video conferencing [r20.rs6.net] and a remote-work adoption toolkit to help guide businesses in their transition to working at home.
·     Google is offering free access to their Hangouts Meet [r20.rs6.net], another video conferencing system, for all of their GSuite and GSuite education customers.
·     Schools and school districts can contact Zoom [r20.rs6.net] and the company will lift their 40-minute meeting limit on their free basic accounts.