By Alex Gund and the Swider Haver staff & attorneys
Posted 1:10 PM, Monday, April 6
Updated 1:27 PM
In these uncertain and fraught times, we know that our clients are going to have a host of questions about resources that may be able to assist with financial hardship, as well as questions about compliance in a rapidly evolving regulatory environment.
While we certainly encourage all of our clients to reach out to our attorneys for assistance with any legal questions or concerns, we also recognize that many of our clients are worried about what the fallout from this crisis upon their own and their businesses’ financial well-being. Therefore, we would like to offer the following compilation of resources for our clients, which provides information and assistance regarding applying for and receiving grants, emergency loans, and obtaining information about regulatory changes.
We will be updating this list frequently, so please feel free to bookmark this page and check back.
Oregon Stay-At-Home Executive Order (PDF)
CDC: Environmental Cleaning and Disinfectant Recommendations
COVID-19 Emergency Relief Resources for PDX (and beyond). This extraordinarily helpful list was compiled by the staff of Oregon Representative Earl Blumenauer, and is an excellent place to start for every Oregonian seeking any kind of assistance in this crisis. Whether you are a non-profit seeking an emergency grant, or just looking for a new way to stay in shape while sheltering in place.
Relief for Small Businesses. Under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which the president signed into law on March 27, the Federal Small Business Administration (SBA) is offering both grants which do not need to be repaid, as well as long-term, low-interest loans to qualifying small businesses, non-profit organizations, and independent contractors.
- For details about eligibility for the grants and loans, including a comprehensive list of frequently asked questions, you should start by reviewing this document, titled The Small Business Owner’s Guide to the CARES Act, which was released by the US Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship.
- To determine if your business is likely to qualify for a loan, we recommend that you also review this easy to digest document released by the US Chamber of Commerce.
- Before applying for a grant and/or loan, we suggest watching this short video, which will take you through the process.
- Finally, when you are ready to apply for relief, you may do so online with the SBA here.
Government Assistance for Freelancers and Small Businesses During COVID-19. A good resource from the Oregon Media Production Association (OMPA) covering a number of topics:
- Unemployment Insurance
- Small Business Loans
- Paycheck Protection Program
- Economic Injury Disaster Loans
- Employee Retention Credit
- Federal Stimulus Check
- Extended Tax-Filing Deadline
- FFCRA Act (Extra Paid Sick Leave)
- Student Loan Payments Deferred
Tips and Strategies for All Businesses. The US Chamber of Commerce has released a host of resources for businesses, which you can find in one place here.
Of course, we at Swider Haver are seeing our clients—who tend to be very creative—come up with all kinds of solutions to the challenges created by this pandemic. We are happy to share some of those solutions if you wish to contact our attorneys.
We are all in this together, and if we collaborate and support one another, we might just come out the other side of this crisis stronger than we have ever been.
