Federal Programs

• Paycheck Protection Program – Provides immediate cash assistance during the COVID-19 crisis to keep employees on the payroll. The loan will be fully forgiven if the funds are used for maintaining or rehiring workers, rent, mortgage interest, or utilities.
• Economic Injury Disaster Loans – The Economic Injury Disaster Loan helps small businesses impacted by COVID-19 with no minimum loan requirement. Additionally, all small businesses are eligible to apply for an advance of up to $10,000.
  • To learn more about the process for accessing SBA’s COVID-19 disaster relief lending, please go here or contact the SBA disaster assistance customer service center: 1-800-659-2955 (TTY: 1-800-877-8339) or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.
• Shuttered Venue Operator Grant Program – The Small Business Administration will disburse $15 billion in grants to shuttered venues. There is $2 billion set aside for venues with less than 50 full-time employees. Venues, theaters, museums and zoos that saw a 25 percent reduction in revenue may receive grants of up to $10 million with the option for a supplemental grant equal to 50 percent of the initial grant.

Statewide Programs

• Kiva Tucson Crowdfunding Loans – Provides loans up to $15,000 and a 6-month deferment. Kiva determines the loan amount based on many factors, including finances, social media presence, and quality of the narrative. Kiva loans can be used for many different business expenses. Kiva Tucson works with borrowers throughout the application, fundraising, and repayment process to help them succeed.
• Chicanos Por La Causa Prestamos – The Chicanos Por La Causa Prestamos division is offering a microloan of up to $25,000 for payroll, rent and monthly liabilities. The first six payments will be paid (both principal and interest) directly by the SBA. The remaining balance will be amortized over a 6-12 month term based on repayment ability. There is a 3% loan origination fee and the interest rate for this loan is 6.5%.

City Programs

• Choose Chandler Grant Program – Reimbursement grant program to assist small businesses with costs incurred from purchasing personal protective equipment (PPE). Grants will be between $100 and $500.
• MesaCares Small Business Reemergence Program – Program is intended to help Mesa-based businesses recover from the coronavirus pandemic, evaluate and react to necessary changes in the business environment, implement new policies, procedures and processes, stimulate new business, and strategize and plan for the future of their companies.
• OVSafeSteps Business Assistance Program – Provides financial resources to local businesses for personal protective equipment (PPE) reimbursement, marketing support, and one-on-one coaching in areas such as technology, human resources and legal services.
• Queen Creek Together – Small businesses in Queen Creek can apply for up to $12,500 each to offset the costs of safety measures due to COVID-19 concerns. The grant program will be implemented by the Town to reimburse businesses for costs incurred in connection with enhanced sanitization, employee safety, and customer safety. Businesses can receive $500 per full-time equivalent employee with a maximum $12,500 grant.

Tax Relief

• Employee Retention Credit – Fully refundable tax credit for employers who have closed or partially closed due to COVID-19. This tax credit is 70 percent of qualified wages that employers pay their employees, up to $10,000 per employee for any quarter. Businesses that utilize this tax credit may also participate in the PPP.
• Federal Payroll Tax – The CARES Act allows employers to defer the payment of the employer’s share of Social Security taxes. Self-employed individuals may defer payment of 50 percent of the Social Security tax based on net earnings.