COVID-19 Small Business Resources

Small businesses located on Minnesota Avenue NE from East Capitol St NE to  Nannie Helen Burrough Avenue NE may be eligible for grant assistance and advisory services from our organization.   

We are here to help.  For more information on Financial Resources, please see list below.  

As information becomes available, we will notify businesses via email. Sign up to receive email updates with the latest business resources. You can schedule a time to meet with the Main Street Manager at https://minnesotaavemainstreet.org/contact. 

We will be in touch within 48-72 hours. Please be patient, as we are working remotely and trying to assist as many businesses as we can. 

Are you a Minnesota Avenue Business? Share your current status during COVID-19. Let us know your hours, special instructions to customers, specials, events and promotions. COMPLETE SURVEY NOW.

We try our best to updates this page as we get new information...You can also visit WACIF, our parent organization,  to view updates on the information on this page.

 Federal

• IRS Form 941 Employee Retention Credit for Employers Subject to Closure Due to COVID-19 Crisis
• Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Deferment on Existing Disaster Loans
• SBA Express Loan
• SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans (application guidance)
• SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Borrower Application Form
• USDA Rural Development COVID-19 Resources

• Amber Grants for Women Entrepreneurs
• Artist Relief grant
• Facebook Small Business Grants
• Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grants COVID-19 Fund
• Golden Rule Charity Hospitality Emergency Assistance
• Google Ad Credits for Small and Medium Businesses
• Hello Alice COVID-19 Business Resource Center
• James Beard Relief Fund Food and Beverage Industry
• Kivia Loan
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Small Business Grants
• Modest Needs Foundation for furloughed hourly employees and front-line heroes
• One Fair Wage Emergency Fund for service workers
• Red Backpack Fund for women entrepreneurs
• Salesforce Care Small Business Grants
• Southern Smoke Emergency Relief Program for restaurant and bar owners & workers
• Sweet Relief Musicians Fund
• The Ogden Newspapers Community Marketing Grant
• The Reddix Rules Fund for women small business owners
• The Spa and Relief Fund
• USBG National Charity Foundation Bartender Emergency Assistance Program

•  DREAM Grant for Ward 7 & 8 microbusinesses – opens August 15, deadline September 30 
• DC WARD 7 & 8 Small Business Recovery Microgrant Program - Deadline May 29, 2020 - CLOSED
• COVID-19 Emergency Sales and Use Tax Relief
• DC Small Business Recovery Micro Grant **Applications through Wacif have closed and are currently being processed**
• Minnesota Avenue Main Street Small Business Resilience Grants ** Applications have closed and grants awarded.**

Other Main Street Small Business Information and Grant Resources

Need Bulk Purchasing PPE??

Community Purchasing Alliance is bulk purchasing PPE. The deadline to submit your requests are:

Sunday, May 25, 2020 and June 15, 2020

Submit your request here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSceLcX4Ls43FER33tWWG8iuWhoXWstBiuQxunNGY-wBkfl91Q/viewform 

Some cafes in Columbia Heights already took advantage of the bulk purchasing rates.

Background on Community Purchasing Alliance

Community Purchasing Alliance (CPA) is member-owned cooperative (www.cpa.coop + bostoncpa.org). We help educational, religious, and community institutions lower the cost of their largest contracts while being more effective with the performance they get from their vendors.

CPA is a cooperative buying group of 100+ organizations looking to help share information, market insight, and facilitate group purchasing (if it makes sense) in this time of need, supply chain challenges, and uncertainty. 

Face Mask by the Box

Our local Nail Salon - Super Elegance, located at 3941 Minnesota Ave NE Washington DC, 20019, is selling Face Masks for 

$43/box/50pcs

You can purchase at 3941 Minnesota Ave NE Washington DC, 20019

or call to order at 5712306995. Call before for store pickup orders.

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidance for small businesses

Small Business Administration’s Employer Guidance for COVID-19

COVID-19 preparedness checklist for businesses

Comprehensive COVID-19 FAQs for Employers

For the latest information on the District Government’s response to COVID-19 (Coronavirus), please visit coronavirus.dc.gov.  

For the latest information on all things Small Business Recovery in the District of Columbia, please visit coronavirus.dc.gov/recovery-business.

Business Licensing & Permitting Extension

Tax Filings Deadline Extended to July 15th, 2020

Legislation

March 24, 2020 legislative document: DC closes nonessential businesses

Uber Eats, GrubHub, and DoorDash Waiving

Fees for Food Establishments & Restaurants

DoorDash

Door Dash Restaurants will not pay commissions Through April 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/suzannerowankelleher/2020/03/17/doordash-restaurants-will-not-pay-commissions-through-april/#47ff91287f5b

Sign up for Door Dash: https://get.doordash.com/ 

Uber Eats

Uber eats waive fees for independent restaurants

https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/16/uber-eats-waives-delivery-fees-for-independent-restaurants-during-covid-19-pandemic/amp/

Two options to join Uber Eats:

1) Sign up as a Uber Partner: https://www.ubereats.com/restaurant/en-US/signup 

2) Become a Virtual Restaurant: https://restaurants.ubereats.com/us/en/innovations/virtual-restaurants/

Grubhub

Grubhub and Major Cities Across the U.S. Launch Economic Relief Effort up to $100 Million for Independent Restaurants and Delivery Partners Impacted by COVID-19 https://media.grubhub.com/media/press-releases/press-release-details/2020/Grubhub-and-Major-Cities-Across-the-US-Launch-Economic-Relief-Effort-up-to-100-Million-for-Independent-Restaurants-and-Delivery-Partners-Impacted-by-COVID-19/default.aspx

Sign up for Grub Hub: https://get.grubhub.com/

 The DC Department of Transportation (DDOT) is issuing temporary pick-up/drop-off zone permits for restaurants, offering a temporary permit for Restaurant Pick-Up/Drop-Off (PUDO) Zones to allow residents and commercial drivers easy access to restaurants and eateries that are still offering delivery or carry out service during Mayor Bowser’s declared public health emergency. DDOT has waived the fees for these permits. 

Restaurant owners can request a permit for a temporary Restaurant PUDO Zone through their Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANC), and Main Street Organizations. If your business is located along the Minnesota Avenue Main Street corridor, please fill out this assistance form and indicate that you would like to apply for a PUDO permit. 

For more information about the PUDO program, please visit DDOT website or call DDOT’s Customer Service Clearinghouse at (202) 673-6813.

Business Licensing & Permitting Extension

Any business licenses, professional/occupational licenses, vending licenses, etc. that expire during the declared emergency will be considered valid, and people will have until 45 days after the declared emergency is over to renew their licenses.  (DCRA Online Services still available.)

COVID-19 Emergency Sales and Use Tax Relief

The Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR) is waiving interest and penalties that would ordinarily be considered for failure to pay sales and use tax due for periods ending on February 29, 2020, and March 31, 2020, provided certain conditions are met.

IRS Tax filing

No penalty or interests will be imposed on February and March payment. Tax payments will be deferred to July 20th. After July 20th, taxpayers may be charged penalty or interests on late payment.