COVID-19 is not only taking a toll on the U.S. market, but also small businesses across the country. With the amount of difficulty, small business owners are facing, finding the light during this darkness can be tough. Thankfully, several companies are offering free help to small business owners during COVID19. The federal and state government, banks, large institutions, social media platforms, and many more are providing financial support for businesses facing the COVID-19 pandemic.
Currently, there are government resources for businesses during COVID19. Many loans and grants are accessible through states and the federal government. All fifty states, Washington D.C. and some U.S. Territories are eligible for the COVID-19 SBA Disaster loan, which is an excellent option for companies that saw a massive decrease in sales and revenue as a result of COVID19. For those businesses that do not qualify or are not interested in getting a loan or grant, there are other options available to help with financial assistance.
Here are 7 FREE resources for business owners affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
- Yelp is offering $25 million in Relief for Affected Small Businesses. Yelp will be using 25 million to waive advertising fees and offer free additional advertising and use of products and services. From free access to Yelp Reservations to $100 in free search advertising, Yelp is doing what it can to help small businesses feeling the effects of this virus.
- A variety of banks are offering relief to those who need it. This list shows a complete overview of several banks that provide relief. The list of banks includes Ally, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citibank, Discover, PNC Bank, Fifth Third Bank, Marcus by Goldman Sachs, PNC Bank, Truist, U.S. Bank, and Wells Fargo.
- Facebook gives $100M in grants, ads to small businesses hit by COVID-19. Facebook will be offering $100M in cash grants and ad credits to help eligible small businesses.
- LinkedIn opened up 16 of its learning courses for free. These LinkedIn courses will help you stay productive, build relationships when you’re not face-to-face, use virtual conference tools, and balance life.
- Jamm, an audio-visual communication tool, is free to use. For teams that may not be used to working remotely, Jamm is a great resource for holding virtual huddles, recording videos, and also integrates with Slack.
- Hootsuite free for small businesses. Now through July 1st, Hootsuite is allowing free access to Hootsuite Professional to small businesses and nonprofits. Hootsuite is a social media scheduling and management platform tool to help you stay connected to your customers and communities.
- Comcast is offering Free Xfinity WiFi. Xfinity wifi will be free for everyone! To access the service, look for the “xfinitiwifi” network name in a list of hotspots.
While these free resources won’t be able to solve all of the devastation small businesses are facing, they certainly can help.