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COVID-19 Resources

For current information on COVID-19
please click on the official websites below:

COVID-19 Testing and Vaccine Information

Do you have COVID-19 symptoms or need a test for travel or work?  Wondering when you can get the vaccine or where to go for one?  Click on the below for updated information.

Click Here For Vaccine Sites in Jefferson County
Business Resources
Community Resources

Financial and Funding Assistance for Businesses

EIDL loan applications will continue to be accepted through December 2021, pending the availability of funds.  This Economic Injury Disaster Loan is a low interest loan to provide economic relief to small businesses and nonprofit organizations that are currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue.  Click HERE for more information and to apply.

Disproportionately Impacted Business (DIB) Relief Program -  This grant is intended to cover losses not covered by previously received assistance programs. DIB grant dollars may not be applied to any losses or expenses which have been previously reimbursed through other assistance from Federal, State or local COVID-19 relief programs, including State Unemployment payments to a sole proprietor.  Grant applications closes on October 3, 2021.  Click HERE for information and to apply.
The Shuttered Venue Operators (SVO) Grant Program was established by the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act, signed into law on December 27, 2020. The program includes $15 billion in grants to shuttered venues, to be administered by the SBA’s Office of Disaster Assistance. Eligible applicants may qualify for SVO Grants equal to 45% of their gross earned revenue, with the maximum amount available for a single grant award of $10 million. $2 billion is reserved for eligible applications with up to 50 full-time employees.  Eligible entities include:
  • Live venue operators or promoters; Theatrical producers; Live performing arts organization operators
  • Relevant museum operators, zoos and aquariums who meet specific criteria
  • Motion picture theater operators
  • Talent representatives, and
  • Each business entity owned by an eligible entity that also meets the eligibility requirements
Other requirements of note:  Must have been in operation as of February 29, 2020 and Venue or promoter must not have applied for or received a PPP loan on or after December 27, 2020.
Click HERE for additional information
The Colorado Startup Loan Fund provides loans and small grants to Colorado entrepreneurs and small business owners needing capital to start, restart, or restructure a business, and those who are not able to obtain a loan from traditional lenders. This is a revolving loan fund, meaning the dollars will be used to continue supporting new entrepreneurs as loans are repaid. Program details including eligibility and the application process are being defined. Applications will open in late 2021. Sign up for OEDIT email updates for program developments.
The Colorado Revolving Loan Fund provides loans that help small to medium-sized Colorado businesses negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. These loans range from $5,000 to $750,000. These loans are intended to provide startup and working capital that will help create and retain jobs across the state of Colorado. The maximum interest rate is 10%, and the expected average interest rate of these loans is 4%. Loans may be character-based and may have terms up to 20 years based on the type of loan. This fund prioritizes socially and economically disadvantaged businesses and non-profits. We will work with community-based organizations to reach people, and extend effort to assist and qualify these types of businesses including using non-traditional underwriting criteria such as character-based lending and providing bi-lingual support where possible.
These loans are funded by the US Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration and is administered by these Colorado-based nonprofit lenders:
  • Colorado Lending Source
  • Colorado Enterprise Fund
  • Region 9 Economic Development District of Southwest Colorado
Click HERE for more information and to apply
The CLIMBER (Colorado Loans to Increase Mainstreet Business Economic Recovery) Loan Fundis a statewide program that will provide up to $250 million in working capital loans to Colorado small businesses through 2023. It will promote small businesses recovery, save jobs, and help support the Colorado economy. Lenders, CDFIs, credit unions, and nonprofit lenders can participate and provide loans for their small business customers needing financial assistance. Small businesses with 5-99 employees that were financially stable before the pandemic but now need help to survive may apply for working capital loans between $30,000 and $500,000. Below-market interest rates and a 1-year deferred payment option make the program a secure recovery option for small businesses.
Click HERE for more information.

The Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) has been signed into law as a part of the American Rescue Plan. The RRF provides federal grants to the restaurant industry, one of hardest hit sectors of the economy during COVID-19. The RRF features $28.6 billion for restaurants with 20 or fewer locations, and will be administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).  Click HERE for more information and visit the Colorado Restaurant Association website for additional information on possible funding and COVID related policies and protocols.  (UPDATE:  The RRF officially stopped accepting applications on May 24, 2021. Total funding for this program was $28.6 billion. In a press release, the SBA stated that they received over 303,000 applications for about $76 billion in funding. On May 10, the SBA announced that they had approved 16,000 applications for more that $2 billion. More current information has not been released).

Tax credit to reimburse PTO for COVID vaccines:  The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) allows small and midsize employers, and certain governmental employers, to claim refundable tax credits that reimburse them for the cost of providing paid sick and family leave to their employees due to COVID-19, including leave taken by employees to receive or recover from COVID-19 vaccinations. The ARP tax credits are available to eligible employers that pay sick and family leave for leave from April 1, 2021, through September 30, 2021.  Click here for information.

The Employee Retention Credit is a refundable payroll tax credit that was previously unavailable to businesses who received a PPP loan. Eligible employers can get cashback for payroll taxes already paid and cashback in excess of the paid liability. This is an immediate cash flow opportunity for struggling businesses that covers both the 2020 and 2021 tax years.

Employers, including tax-exempt organizations, are eligible for the credit if they operated a business during calendar year 2020 and experience either:
The full or partial suspension of the operation of their business during any calendar quarter because of governmental orders due to COVID-19,
OR more than 50% reduced gross revenue as compared to the same quarter in 2019.

To amend payroll tax for 2020, businesses will need to fill out Form 941x. Contact your payroll service provider.

Employers, including tax-exempt organizations, are eligible for the credit if they operate a business during calendar year 2021 and experience either:
Partial or total business closure due to federal, state or local COVID order.
OR more than 20% reduced gross revenue as compared to the same quarter in 2019.

Businesses can take the credit against their current payroll taxes as they run payroll, submit a 2021 IRS Form 7200, OR request a refund at the end of the first and second quarters.

Click HERE for more information.

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) is a federal tax credit that encourages employers to hire targeted groups of job seekers. WOTC can reduce employer federal tax liability by as much as $2,400 to $9,600 per new hire.
WOTC TARGETED GROUPS
  • Category A: Welfare Recipients,
  • Category B-1: Veterans Receiving Food Stamps,
  • Category B-2: Disabled Veterans,
  • Category C: Ex-Felons,
  • Category D: Designated Community Residents,
  • Category E: Vocational Rehabilitation Recipients,
  • Category G: Food Stamp Recipients,
  • Category H: Supplemental Security Income Recipients,
  • Category I: Long Term TANF Recipients,
  • Category V: Unemployed Veterans. Each target group has its own specific requirements.
For more information and to apply for the tax credit, please click here

COVID-19 Relief for Bars, Restaurants and Mobile Food Retailers:  HB20b-1004 allows a temporary deduction from state net taxable sales for qualifying retailers primarily in the bar, restaurant and the mobile food services industries. The resulting state sales tax is allowed to be retained by the business permanently to provide assistance from business disruptions due to COVID-19 pandemic.  Click HERE for more information.

The following Google sheet provided by the Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade helps Colorado's small businesses find alternative funding sources beyond EIDL, PPP and other federal loans and programs. It is updated periodically by the state. Click HERE to access the document, which is kept updated by OEDIT as new funding becomes available.

The U.S. Small Business Administration Economic Relief Guide to various loans and programs may be found by clicking HERE.

Other COVID-19 Related Business Information

Information on COVID-19 and the ADA, Rehabilitation Act and other EEO Laws can be found by clicking here.

Energize Colorado has various resources available for small businesses.  Please click here for information.

The Colorado Small Business Development Center Network offers no cost consulting and low cost training.  Request a consulting appointment, register for a workshop or browse resources in our area by clicking HERE.   You can find many e-learning videos available HERE.

Details on the Colorado 2021 Stimulus Recovery Plan may be found by clicking HERE.

Resources for the  Community and Residents 

If you need assistance with food, utilities, housing or other services, Mountain Resource Center or Evergreen Christian Outreach may be able to help, depending on your circumstances.  Other family, community and civic organizations are listed here.

 

Unemployment benefits may be available to workers who have lost their job through no fault of their own.  Please click HERE to be directed to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment unemployment site.  You can also search for employment opportunities listed on our website.

The Colorado Jumpstart program is being offered to Colorado unemployment recipients who return to work full time between May 16 and June 26, 2021. During each weekly certification within MyUI+, Colorado unemployment claimants are asked, “Have you returned to work full time during this reporting period?” Eligible claimants who answer “Yes” to this question will be offered the opportunity to opt into the Colorado Jumpstart program. After you return to work full time, your unemployment claim will be inactivated, and you will no longer need to complete weekly unemployment certifications. If you reopen your unemployment claim within eight weeks after opting into the Colorado Jumpstart program, you will forfeit any remaining unpaid incentive payments.
For more information and answers to frequently asked questions click HERE.

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