Restaurant Revitalization Fund

 

This program provides emergency assistance for eligible restaurants, bars, and other qualifying businesses impacted by COVID-19.

Applications are open

  • Minimum award $1000. Up to $5 million per physical location ($10million per business)

  • Not required to repay the funding as long as funds are used for eligible uses no later than March 11, 2023.

  • Priority groups: 51 percent owned by Women, Veterans, or Socially and Economically Disadvantaged

Use of Funds

  • Business payroll costs (including sick leave)

  • Business mortgage obligation

  • Business rent payments

  • Business debt service

  • Business utility payments

  • Business maintenance expenses

  • Construction of outdoor seating

  • Business supplies

  • Business food and beverage expenses

  • Covered supplier costs

  • Business operating expenses

Restaurant Revitalization Fund Details
 
 Financial Assistance

 

Visit California’s Financial Assistance Page 

 

Shuttered Venues Grants

The Small Business Administration will soon begin accepting applications for Shuttered Venues Grants.

  • The California COVID-19 Relief Grant is opening four new rounds of funding, after 40,000 small businesses were awarded funding in amounts between $5,000 and $25,000 in Rounds 1 and 2 beginning January 2021. 
  • Round 3 will apply funding to businesses waitlisted from Round 2. There is no need to re-apply for funding. 
  • Round 4 will open from March 16th through March 23rd for non-profit cultural institutions only. A new application must be filed even if the non-profit cultural institution filed for funding in Rounds 1 or 2. 
  • Round 5 will open from March 25th through March 31st, and will include waitlisted small businesses, non-profits, and new applicants who meet eligibility criteria found at CAReliefGrant.com. 
  • Round 6 application deadlines will be announced soon, and will include all waitlisted businesses in Rounds 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5.
SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans

SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans are available to California small businesses.

Loan Eligibility

Small business owners and qualified agricultural businesses in all U.S. states and territories are currently eligible to apply for a low-interest loan due to COVID-19.

Agricultural businesses with 500 or fewer employees are now eligible as a result of new authority granted by Congress in response to the pandemic.

Agricultural businesses include those businesses engaged in the production of food and fiber, ranching, raising of livestock, aquaculture, and all other farming and agricultural related industries (as defined by section 18(b) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 647(b)).

Eligible Business Types Include:

  • Small nonfarm businesses
  • Small agricultural cooperatives
  • Small businesses engaged in aquaculture
  • Most private nonprofit organizations of any size

Loan Increases

Loans approved prior to April 7, 2021 for less than $500,000 are likely eligible for an increase based on new loan maximum amounts announced March 24, 2021. Businesses that received a loan subject to the previous loan limit can submit a request for an increase at this time. SBA is now reaching out directly to loan borrowers via email to provide more details about how businesses can request an increase. Borrowers should expect to receive emails from @sba.gov or @updates.sba.gov addresses.*

* Borrowers who experience problems sending email using the link in the message they received must be sure to remove any additional characters that may appear in front of the email address.

If an applicant accepted a loan for less than the full amount originally offered, the applicant will have up to two years after the date of the loan promissory note to request additional funds. Applicants may continue to request additional funds even after the application deadline of December 31, 2021.

The deadline to apply for economic injury is Nov. 5, 2021. Applications can be submitted here. Please contact the SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for additional information on SBA disaster assistance. 

 

Targeted EIDL Advance

The COVID-19 Targeted EIDL Advance was signed into law on December 27, 2020, as part of the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Non-Profits, and Venues Act. The Targeted EIDL Advance provides businesses in low-income communities with additional funds to ensure small business continuity, adaptation, and resiliency.

Advance funds of up to $10,000 will be available to applicants in low-income communities who previously received an EIDL Advance for less than $10,000, or those who applied but received no funds due to lack of available program funding.

  • Applicants do not need to take any action.
  • SBA is reaching out to those who qualify.
Learn More

 
 Local Agencies that Can Help

  • If your business has been economically impacted by COVID-19 , the following resources may be able to assist you.  

  • Cal Poly CIE Small Business Development Center provides business assistance to start-ups and established companies, provides assistance with SBA loans and helps entrepreneurs create companies, create and retain jobs, and attract capital investment. It has also compiled resources for businesses impacted by  COVID-19 and provided answers to several common questions.  Visit their website at: https://ciesbdc.com/covid-19-resources 

  • Mission Community Services Corporation provides tools for launching a business, growing a business, conducts webinars for businesses to learn, and provides mentorship and consultation. It also offers support to individuals looking at self-employment as a viable option for their next career. The services offered include one-on-one private consulting, and business related training classes in both English and Spanish.  

  • America’s Job Center: 

    • If your business is laying off employees or closing, the America’s Job Center of California can support you and your workers through the Rapid Response program. Contact Jim Yancheson at (805) 249-9644 or jyancheson@eckerd.org 

  • SCORE provides guidance, mentoring, and workshops to small or new businesses. 
 Grant Programs

  • The Community Foundation of San Luis Obispo County announced Disaster Support Fund Rapid Response Grants for local nonprofit 501c3 organizations whose mission is to serve our most vulnerable populations with basic needs (food, shelter, transportation, etc.) and have a broad reach in serving our community. Grants will be for general operating support and are expected to range between $5,000 to $20,000 and will be reviewed on an ongoing basis or until funding is depleted. Applications for grants may be accessed through our online portal HERE.

  • The State developed a consolidated grants portal to find all grants and loans offered by California state agencies. 
Cal/OSHA Emergency Temporary Standards and Reporting 
  • Cal/OSHA implemented Emergency Temporary Standards for California employers which became effective November 30, 2020. 
  • FAQ about the new Emergency Temporary Standards 
  • Required Reporting of Covid Positive Staff  
    • Under the new Cal/OSHA standards, employers are required to contact the local health department immediately but no longer than 48 hours after the employer knows, or with diligent inquiry would have known, of three or more COVID-19 cases for guidance on preventing the further spread of COVID-19 within the workplace.   
    • For additional information regarding required notifications, read the Emergency Temporary Standards.  
    • To submit a required notification, please fill out the form below.  
    • If you need assistance with your required notifications to Public Health, email us.   
Employer Reporting of COVID Cases
COVID-19 Employer Playbook 
The State of California released a playbook for employers that outlines how to reopen safely. 
CDC Recommended Strategies for Employers 
 Direct sick employees to stay home
  • Employees who have symptoms of acute respiratory illness are recommended to stay home and not come to work until they are free of fever (100.4° F [38.0° C] or greater using an oral thermometer), signs of a fever, and any other symptoms for at least 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing or other symptom-altering medicines (e.g. cough suppressants).
  • Employees should notify their supervisor and stay home if they are sick. Ensure that your sick leave policies are flexible and consistent with public health guidance and that employees are aware of these policies. 
  • Talk with companies that provide your business with contract or temporary employees about the importance of sick employees staying home and encourage them to develop non-punitive leave policies. 
  • Do not require a healthcare provider’s note for employees who are sick with acute respiratory illness to validate their illness or to return to work, as healthcare provider offices and medical facilities may be extremely busy and not able to provide such documentation in a timely way. 
 Separate sick employees
  • CDC recommends that employees who appear to have acute respiratory illness symptoms (i.e. cough, shortness of breath) upon arrival to work or become sick during the day should be separated from other employees and be sent home immediately. Sick employees should cover their noses and mouths with a tissue when coughing or sneezing (or an elbow or shoulder if no tissue is available). 
 Emphasize staying home when sick, respiratory etiquette and hygiene by all employees

  • Place posters that encourage staying home when sick, cough and sneeze etiquette, and hand hygiene at the entrance to your workplace and in other workplace areas where they are likely to be seen. 

  • Provide tissues and no-touch disposal receptacles for use by employees. 

  • Instruct employees to clean their hands often with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60-95% alcohol, or wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Soap and water should be used preferentially if hands are visibly dirty. 

  • Provide soap and water and alcohol-based hand rubs in the workplace. Ensure that adequate supplies are maintained. Place hand rubs in multiple locations or in conference rooms to encourage hand hygiene. 

  • Visit the coughing and sneezing etiquette and clean hands webpage for more information. 

  • Employees who are well but who have a sick family member at home with COVID-19 should notify their supervisor and refer to CDC guidance for how to conduct a risk assessment of their potential exposure. 

  • If an employee is confirmed to have COVID-19, employers should inform fellow employees of their possible exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace but maintain confidentiality as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Employees exposed to a co-worker with confirmed COVID-19 should refer to CDC guidance for how to conduct a risk assessment of their potential exposure.  
Perform routine cleaning 

  • Routinely clean all frequently touched surfaces in the workplace, such as workstations, countertops, and doorknobs. Use the cleaning agents that are usually used in these areas and follow the directions on the label. 

  • Provide disposable wipes so that commonly used surfaces (for example, doorknobs, keyboards, remote controls, desks) can be wiped down by employees before each use. 
Advise employees before traveling to take certain steps 

  • Check the CDC’s Traveler’s Health Notices for the latest guidance and recommendations for each country to which you will travel. Specific travel information for travelers going to and returning from China, and information for aircrew, can be found at on the CDC website. 

  • Advise employees to check themselves for symptoms of acute respiratory illness before starting travel and notify their supervisor and stay home if they are sick. 

  • Ensure employees who become sick while traveling or on temporary assignment understand that they should notify their supervisor and should promptly call a healthcare provider for advice if needed. 

  • If outside the United States, sick employees should follow your company’s policy for obtaining medical care or contact a healthcare provider or overseas medical assistance company to assist them with finding an appropriate healthcare provider in that country. A U.S. consular officer can help locate healthcare services. However, U.S. embassies, consulates, and military facilities do not have the legal authority, capability, and resources to evacuate or give medicines, vaccines, or medical care to private U.S. citizens overseas. 
Business Guidances for COVID 
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