COVID-19 has heavily impacted our businesses and we understand the difficulty it places on them. Please see the following resources below and contact the Pawtucket Planning Department at 401-728-0500 ext. 430 with any questions you may have. 

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Important updates on the American Rescue Plan responding to COVID-19 click here

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Important update from the Small Business Association

Restaurant Revitalization Fund

haga clic aquí para más información: sba.gov/programas-de-financiamiento/prestamos/opciones-de-asistencia-por-covid-19/fondo-de-revitalizacion-de-restaurantes?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

Registration for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) will begin Friday, April 30 at 9 a.m. EDT and SBA will begin accepting applications via the application portal on Monday, May 3 at 12 p.m. EDT. The application portal will remain open to any eligible establishment until all funds are exhausted.

Register for an account in advance at restaurants.sba.gov starting Friday, April 30 at 9 a.m. EDT. If you are working with Square or Toast, you do not need to register beforehand on the application portal. Review the sample application, program guide and cross-program eligibility chart on SBA COVID-19 relief options.  Attend one of the webinar trainings listed below. These will be recorded and later posted on SBA's YouTube channel. We will share the recording links via email and on SBA's social media channels. Wednesday, April 28 | 1 p.m. EDT | Register here Wednesday, April 28 | 2:30 p.m. EDT | Register here For more information, visit sba.gov/restaurants.

American Rescue Plan Act

The American Rescue Plan Act provides additional relief for the nation’s small businesses and hard-hit industries for programs the SBA is currently administering and adds new efforts, including:  

• $7.25 billion additional for the Paycheck Protection Program, including to expand eligibility to additional nonprofits and digital news services 
• Additional funds are allocated for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program, and now allows businesses to apply for both a PPP loan after Dec. 27, 2020, and the SVOG  
• $15 billion additional for Targeted Economic Injury Disaster Loan Advance (EIDL) payments, including NEW $5 billion for Supplemental Targeted EIDL Advance payments for those hardest hit 
• NEW: $28.6 billion for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund for industry-focused grants    
• NEW: $100 million to establish a Community Navigator pilot program; grants will go to eligible organizations supporting efforts to improve access to COVID–19 pandemic assistance programs and resources.   

SBA’s current relief efforts can be found at www.sba.gov/coronavirusrelief, and more details about these program updates and new efforts the SBA will administer in the coming weeks.

The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) application portal in anticipation of opening applications for the much-anticipated critical economic relief program on Thursday, April 8, 2021. Click here to learn more and register here for the webinar before applications are due for more information.

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Congress approves PPP extension for small businesses for two months. Please click here to see the announcement

Applications for aid:

Small Businesses:

Pawtucket Business Development Corporation (PBDC) COVID-19 Emergency Loans: Form here.

LISC Small Business Relief Grants: https://www.lisc.org/covid-19/small-business-assistance/

Save Small Business Fund Grant Program: https://www.savesmallbusiness.com/?fbclid=IwAR3jIStS285peWYQsiNBf-b0PD0Yt1VTDmn9-Pv518EyQsGeFlJ_ay71R10#eligibility

Commerce RI/Small Business Administration(SBA):https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/coronavirus-relief-options 

Commerce RI provides resources for Rhode Island Businesses Restore RI:https://commerceri.com/about-us/restore-ri/

SBA Contact Information: Email: disastercustomerservice@sba.gov ; SBA Phone Number: (800) 659-2955

RI Commerce Small Business Hotline: (401) 521 - HELP or info@commerceri.com

LISC/Verizon Small Business Recovery Fund (Up to $10,000 in grant funds): https://www.lisc.org/covid-19/verizon-small-business-recovery-fund/  

The Champlin Foundation: https://champlinfoundation.org/apply/#submit-an-application

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Non-profits and the arts:

Creative Capital Grants and Workshops: https://creative-capital.org/2020/03/13/list-of-arts-resources-during-the-covid-19-outbreak/?fbclid=IwAR3kyQGd2JYvG8JBd3VEdhMQ7l9fQzaSz_Q-EZtkMZMu-E3lZowviK09-d0

Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA) (Information and Financial Resources): https://risca.online/coronavirus-and-the-arts-resources-and-updates/

Craft Emergency Relief Fund:https://cerfplus.org/get-relief/apply-for-help/craft-emergency-relief-fund/grants-loans/

Theatre Community Benevolent Fund: https://www.stagesource.org/page/TCBF

 Video Resources:

CITY OF PAWTUCKET SPANISH SMALL BUSINESS WEBINAR HERE.

CITY OF PAWTUCKET SMALL BUSINESS WEBINAR: RE-OPENING THE ECONOMY SLIDES HERE.

CITY OF PAWTUCKET SMALL BUSINESS WEBINAR PRESENTATION SLIDES HERE.

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 Other Resources:

Rhode Island Division of Taxation: http://www.tax.ri.gov/; Phone Number 401-574-8484

Rhode Island Department of Labor & Training: http://www.dlt.state.ri.us/ ; Phone Number: 401-462-2020

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Resources: https://www.uschamber.com/co/start/strategy/small-business-resources-for-surviving-coronavirus

Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce: https://www.nrichamber.com/covid-19-resources-for-businesses.html ; Phone Number: 401-334-1000

RI Hispanic Chamber of Commerce: www.rihispanicchamber.org

Rhode Island Center for Women and Enterprise: https://www.cweonline.org/About-CWE/CWE-Rhode-Island ; Phone Number: 401-277-0800

Rhode Island Black Business Association: https://www.ri-bba.org/ ; Phone Number: 401- 383-1179

Progreso Latino (free consulting for minority owned businesses): https://progresolatino.org/ ; Phone number: 401-256-7925

Support Rhode Island Restaurants Facebook Page: Support RI Restaurants 

Internal Revenue Service (IRS):The Treasury Department and IRS have announced a three-month delay for any tax payments owed up to $1 million. You’ll still need to file your returns by April 15, 2020 but will have until July 15 to pay. This will apply to individual tax returns but should also cover many pass-through entities and small businesses. https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus ; Phone Number: 1-800-829-1040

Rhode Island superior court Business Protection Program: Court https://www.ri.gov/press/view/38050

Kabbage (Gift Certificates to support Small Business): https://www.kabbage.com/helpsmallbusiness

Free Online Software Tools

Microsoft Office 365: http://www.doit.ri.gov/covid-19/ (Microsoft Office tools for 6 months)

Google Hangouts Free Video Conferencing: https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/g-suite/helping-businesses-and-schools-stay-connected-in-response-to-coronavirus

Cisco Free WebEx Video Conferencing: https://cart.webex.com/sign-up

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Dear Business Professional:

Thank you for considering the City of Pawtucket, birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution. Whether you are the owner of an existing Pawtucket business looking to expand, someone who is looking to locate or relocate your business in our city, or thinking of holding an event here, we want to be a partner in your success. It is our goal to provide you with customized service of the highest quality. The City of Pawtucket is committed to promoting smart, responsible growth within our city that respects our rich history of economic innovation, cultural diversity, and the unique character of our community. 

We are truly here to help you however we can. Our team is always just a phone call, email, or text message away. Pawtucket is home to a vibrant business community which also takes an active role throughout our community, whether by individual initiatives or through public-private partnerships we enjoy such as with the Pawtucket Foundation. These leaders, from hundreds of diversified industries, possess a wealth of knowledge and a keen willingness to help other private sector ventures succeed. 

We have created this page to provide quick, convenient access to the numerous City resources you may need. From the permitting process to bidding on City projects, from licensing to tax incentives and a host of other ways we can help, this webpage is your one-stop shop for doing business in Pawtucket. We are continually looking for ways to improve our services, so if you have any suggestions please reach out and share them with us.

Thank you again for considering Pawtucket. We look forward to working with you.