The Colorado Small Business Development Center has been awarded a federal grant designed to support services for small businesses affected by the recent forest fires, including the High Park and Hewlett fires.
These services include loan packaging, marketing and business planning for recovery, assistance with the FEMA disaster program and the application process for the low interest Small Business Administration disaster loans. The application deadline for business physical damage loans is Oct. 9; for economic injury loans, May 7, 2013.
The state SBDC is park of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and is working in partnership with the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade on small-business relief.
“As a small business owner, a decrease in productivity or having doors closed even for a day can have a significant impact,” said Kelly Manning, SBDC State Director, in announcing the new grant. “There are a variety of resources available to businesses and with the additional funding, we will be able to provide increased services in order to help them recover and advance from this disaster.”
The SBDC applied for and was awarded a supplemental grant of $100,000 through the SBA and plans to match these funds through state and community funds already in place.
The SBDC provided similar services to the small businesses of Windsor affected by the devastating tornado in 2008. More than 100 businesses there received assistance over a two-and-a-half-year period.
Small business owners affected by this summer’s fires can contact Manning at [email protected] for more information.