Assistance for Businesses
Impacted By Covid-19

The City is actively monitoring and reviewing new guidance on reopening procedures. The most updated guidance will be posted at Reopening Massachusetts (Commonwealth of MA); helpful resources are linked to below.

Required for Businesses: COVID-19 Control Plan Template (MA EOHED)
Mandatory Safety Standards for Workplaces (MA EOHED)
Sector-Specific Protocols and Best Practices (MA EOHED)
Reopening: When can my business reopen? (MA EOHED)

Terms and conditions apply.

Begin an application here: www.revere.org/sharedstreets 

The Office of Planning & Economic Development has been awarded a “Shared Street Grant” from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and has used the funds to purchase outdoor dining equipment.

The City will in turn provide no-cost loans of this equipment, consisting of outdoor patio furniture, to small businesses having a registered business within the city and a storefront location. 

What can the equipment be used for?
The equipment can be used by restaurants, cafes, and bakeries that would like to promote food service or take out service outside along the sidewalk or within the parking bays in front of their business location.

How long will businesses have access to the equipment?
The City plans to run this pilot program throughout the month of October.

What are the responsibilities as a business owner of the equipment during the loan period?
Business owners will need to sign a No-Cost Equipment Loan Agreement, store the equipment in their establishment during non-business hours, and keep the equipment clean after every customer use.

How will businesses receive the equipment?
Because this is a pilot program, the supply of equipment is limited and will be made available to businesses that submit an application at www.revere.org/sharedstreets, have current permits to operate outdoor dining, and are in good standing with City of Revere’s Licensing Department. The City of Revere will deliver the equipment once these criteria are met and will pick the equipment up at the end of the pilot period.

For more info please contact Julie DeMauro at jdemauro@revere.org.

Revere businesses are invited to apply for assistance through the Restaurant Reopening Assistance Program, a resource provided by the Boston Society of Architecture and the Boston Society of Landscape Architects.

Learn more about the program here:
http://bslanow.org/restaurant-reopening-assistance/ 

To submit an application for pro-bono design assistance, visit:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd7qnSOR2j_UP2SVQS_GQZubzONvK7p3m0uZqjiuqVMd_HOJg/viewform 

The Boston Society for Architecture (BSA) and the Boston Society of Landscape Architects (BSLA) are organizing our members to volunteer conceptual design assistance that can help local restaurants design or redesign outdoor seating and also help think about how to redesign interior spaces to respond to evolving COVID-related standards. Once you have completed this form you will be matched with a volunteer architect, landscape architect, designer or student in one of these disciplines. This person will meet with you (at your restaurant or digitally) to talk about your plans and measure the space. The volunteer will then send you a basic conceptual design sketch of how you could reconfigure your outdoor and/or indoor space layout. 

Please note: Any design requests beyond this are not included in this offer for assistance and your volunteer has not been asked to assist with the permitting process for the new seating layout. This measured sketch is for conceptual design purposes to guide layout only; it will not be stamped and is not intended to be used as a  construction document. Although your volunteer can design for greater spatial distancing, he/she is an architect or landscape architect, not an industrial hygienist, and cannot guarantee that the design will prevent the spread of the virus. 

Applications must be submitted online by Thursday, November 12th at 12:00pm.

To begin your application, visit:
https://www.empoweringsmallbusiness.org/covid-19-response/covid-19-grants-massachusetts-small-businesses 

Small businesses may apply now for $50.8 million in COVID-19 Small Business Grants made available through Massachusetts Capital Growth Corporation. Eligibility criteria are as follows:

• Businesses with five or fewer employees may access up to $25,000 to cover for working capital to cover business costs, such as rent, staffing, utilities, and technical assistance, general support and stabilization of the business. Funds may also be used for purchasing personal protection equipment (PPE).
• Businesses with 50 or fewer employees can receive up to $75,000 or up to three months of supported expenses for employee payroll and benefit costs, mortgage interest, rent, utilities and interest on other debt obligations.

Preference will be given to small businesses whose owners are women, minorities, veterans, members of other underrepresented groups, who are focused on serving the Gateway Cities of Massachusetts, and those most negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Preference will also be given to applicants of the greatest need that have not been able to receive aid from other federal programs related to COVID-19.

APPLICATIONS ARE NO LONGER BEING ACCEPTED FOR THIS PROGRAM. Existing grantees should contact John Festa, Business Liaison, with questions about prior awards and requirements.

In May 2020, the City of Revere launched an emergency grant program, which offered working capital grants of up to $10,000 to Revere small businesses negatively impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Funding is limited, and eligibility requirements and conditions apply. This program was supported by Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and funding from the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office.

The following guidelines apply to existing grantees only:

What can grant funds cover?

These working capital grants are limited to following business expenses: lease or mortgage payments, utility payments, monthly debt payments, payroll, and/or inventory expenses. Prohibited uses include the acquisition of new property or the construction or repair of existing and/or new property.

Who is eligible for this grant?

The program was open to applicants who met the following threshold criteria:

• Are a for-profit business with a physical location in Revere;
• Are in good standing with the City of Revere;
  
• Have experienced a loss of business income due to COVID-19;
• Have business rent/lease commitments or mortgage/loan obligations; and
  
• Have documentable business income loss, including business income comparisons (e.g. pre-Covid and during Covid) and are able to provide a description of negative impacts.

Businesses were also required to qualify as one of the following:

• A microenterprise business - a business with five employees or less, including the owner; and the owner must earn a household income of equal to or less than 80% of the area median income; or
• A small business having any number of employees, where as a result of grant funding, at least one job will be either: retained by a low-moderate income employee OR created (or in this case re-created) and available to low-moderate income persons; or
• A business with at least one employee (not including business owner) where the employee(s) are in jeopardy of losing their job due to Covid-19, and the business commits to either retaining the employee(s) because of assistance or hire(s) the employee(s) back within a reasonable period when normal business resumes.

Businesses Ineligible For This Grant

Real estate, multi-level marketing, adult entertainment, cannabis, firearms, and social clubs.

Income Eligibility

Grant applications include required questions about applicants' current household income. Application review and funding decisions will be evaluated in conjunction with Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) area median income guidelines for business owner applicants and/or employees.

The CARES Act has authorized funding for a variety of low-interest or forgivable loan programs that are administered through the Small Business Administration and participating financial institutions. For more extensive details, please visit the SBA Guidance and Loan Resources page. City staff have also prepared a Small Business Disaster Loan guide to support Revere businesses in exploring their options.

Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG): CARES Act funds are available to provide continued payments and assistance to child care providers in the case of decreased enrollment or closures related to coronavirus, and to assure providers are able to remain open or reopen as appropriate.

• The Office of Child Care (OCC) Regional Program Unit is responsible for providing centralized program and technical administration of Child Care Development (CCDF) block grant and discretionary programs and for collaborating with OCC, States, Tribes, and other grantees on all significant policy matters.
• For more information, contact: Shireen Riley, Regional Program Manager; Phone: (617) 565-1152. Email: shireen.riley@acf.hhs.gov

The Red Backpack Fund is offering grants up to $5,000 for majority women-owned businesses.

Contact Revere’s Covid-19 Business Response Team via email or by calling Revere 311. The Business Response Team is led by the Office of Planning and Development in partnership with other City departments and volunteers.

Staff are available to provide information and guidance to Revere businesses, including referrals to community partners, institutions, and/or technical assistance providers.

Apply at: http://10ksbapply.com 

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses is an investment to help small businesses grow and create jobs by providing them with greater access to education, capital, and business support services. To date, more than 9,700 business owners have graduated from the program across all 50 states in the US, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C.

Through the program, business will gain practical skills across topics such as financial statements negotiation, marketing, and employee management, and gain the tools to develop a customized business plan for growth—for free.

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses is an education program that links learning to action for small business owners. Through the program, participants will gain practical skills in topics such as negotiation, marketing, and employee management. They will also access pathways to capital and a nationwide network of 9,700+ alumni. This program, offered in partnership with Babson College and Boston-based nonprofit, ICIC, is a philanthropic initiative funded through the Goldman Sachs Foundation and is offered at no cost to participants.

Business owners, independent contractors, and self-employed individuals seeking assistance in applying for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance or related programs are also invited to call CONNECT’s Spanish/English hotline at 617-712-3487.

• COVID-19 Small Business Stabilization Network: This network is providing targeted technical assistance, including multilingual assistance, to businesses seeking to access small business loan and relief programs.
• Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs): SBDCs are serving both new and existing small business clients with 1:1 remote business counseling and group workshop webinars.
• Women’s Business Centers (WBCs): WBCs provide free to low cost counseling and training and focus on emerging or current women entrepreneurs. Remote classes and self-paced workshops may be available to eligible businesses.
• Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOC): Designed to provide entrepreneurial development services and referrals for eligible veterans owning or considering starting a small business. Remote classes and self-paced workshops may be available to eligible businesses.

• The COVID Relief Coalition is a coalition of law firms, nonprofits and governmental agencies that have joined forces to provide pro-bono legal assistance to small businesses and nonprofits to access emergency loans and other sources of relief.
  
• Please be aware of the rise of scammers promoting fraudulent programs. Additional guidance is available from the  Massachusetts Attorney General’s office and from the Small Business Administration.

Trainings and Webinars

• SCORE | Coronavirus Small Business Resource Hub
• Amplify Latinx | Eventbrite Events Page