Please note: This page is being updated as information and resources become available. Check back regularly!
Important: SBA Loan Application Available
06.09.20 - Emergency Business Assistance Program for Dallas County
On Monday, June 15, 2020, Dallas County will begin accepting pre-applications for its Emergency Business Assistance Program (EBAP). EBAP is funded with an allocation of $5 million in federal CARES Act dollars and is designed to rapidly provide financial assistance to small businesses located in Dallas County that have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and that have been unable to obtain financial assistance to meet all of their business needs. Small businesses may be eligible to obtain a forgivable loan worth up to $15,000.
03.25.20 - Message from the Texas comptroller of public accounts:
04.17.20 - Governor Abbott Issues Executive Order Establishing Strike Force To Open Texas
Governor Greg Abbott on April 17 held a press conference where he issued three new Executive Orders to begin the process of reopening the state of Texas while revising hospital capacity and certain social distancing guidelines. Within the orders, select activities and services that pose minimal to no threat of spreading COVID-19 are allowed to reopen using a "Retail-To-Go" model, certain restrictions on surgeries have been loosened, and schools will remain closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 academic year.
Within these orders, the Governor has established the Strike Force to Open Texas—a team of nationally recognized medical experts and private and public leaders who will advise the Governor on safely and strategically reopening the state of Texas.
"Texans are battling a colossal challenge—an invisible enemy that has tested our lives and our livelihoods—but overcoming challenges is part of who we are as Texans," said Governor Abbott. "We have shown that Texas can continue our efforts to contain COVID-19 while also adopting safe standards that will allow us to begin the process of reopening Texas. The Strike Force to Open Texas brings together nationally recognized medical experts with public and private sector leaders to achieve this mission. By coming together, we can get Texans back to work, practice safe standards that will prevent the spread of COVID-19, and we can overcome this pandemic."
James Huffines will lead the advisory strike force and Mike Toomey will serve as Chief Operating Officer. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, Attorney General Ken Paxton, and Comptroller Glenn Hegar will serve as consulting members.
In addition, Governor Abbott has appointed Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Commissioner John Hellerstedt, MD, as Chief Medical Officer of the strike force. Dr. Hellerstedt will be supported by three Chief Medical Advisors:
John Zerwas, MD, Executive Vice-Chancellor for Health Affairs at the University of Texas System
Mark McClellan, MD, PhD, Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner and U.S. Medicaid and Medicare Administrator
Parker Hudson, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases at Dell Medical School and program director for the Internal Medicine Residency
These health experts will develop a medical architecture to comprehensively test and trace COVID-19 that will enable Texans to gradually and safely begin the process of returning to work and other activities.
The medical team will work alongside a Special Advisory Council who will share innovative ideas to help businesses strategically reopen while containing the spread of COVID-19. The council consists of 39 business leaders representing the state's regions and industries. The advisory council will collaborate with working groups to devise strategies, statewide standards, and appropriate time frames to reopen the Lone Star State while prioritizing the health and safety of all Texans.
The strike force will immediately begin providing input on potential additional openings of activities and services in Texas consistent with guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Governor will announce a revised plan for the state based on these initial recommendations on April 27.
Special Advisory Council members include:
Arcilia Acosta: President and CEO, CARCON Industries & Construction
Paul Andrews, Jr.: Founder and CEO, TTI Inc.
Mark Bivins: Rancher, partner in Corsino Cattle Company
Kathy Britton: CEO and Owner, Perry Homes
Brad Brookshire: Chairman and CEO, Brookshire Grocery Co.
J. Bruce Bugg, Jr.: Chairman, Texas Transportation Commission
Alonzo Cantu: President & CEO of Cantu Construction
Bobby Cox: Owner and operator, Bobby Cox Companies, Inc.
Adriana Cruz: Executive Director, Economic Development & Tourism Division, Office of the Governor
Michael Dell: Chairman and CEO, Dell Technologies
Scott Dueser: Chairman, President & CEO, First Financial Bank
Don Evans: Chairman of the President George W. Bush Foundation, Chairman of Permian Strategic Partnership
Tilman Fertitta: Chairman, CEO, and sole owner, Landry's, Inc.
Richard Fisher: Senior Advisor, Barclays and Former President & CEO, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
Rick Francis: Chairman of the Board, WestStar Bank Holding Company, Inc.
Printice Gary: Founding Partner/Principal and CEO, Carleton Companies
Brad Heffington: Owner of Heffington Farms, Inc. and Triple T Irrigation, Inc.
Jeffery D. Hildebrand: Executive Chairman and Founder, Hilcorp Energy Company
Nancy Kinder: President & CEO, Kinder Foundation
Tom Luce: Founder and Chairman, Texas 2036
Marc McDougal: CEO, McDougal Companies
Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale: Owner, Gallery Furniture
Drayton McLane: Chairman, McLane Group
Elaine Mendoza: Founder, President & CEO of Conceptual MindWorks, Inc
Balous Miller: Owner, Bill Miller Bar-B-Q Restaurants
Carla Moran: Ramar Communications
Dennis Nixon: CEO and Chairman of International Bank of Commerce
David Oliveira: Partner at Roerig, Oliveira & Fisher, L.L.P.
Ross Perot, Jr.: Chairman, The Perot Group
Kevin D. Roberts, Ph.D.: Executive Director, Texas Public Policy Foundation
Robert B. Rowling: Owner and Chairman, TRT Holdings, Inc.
Kendra Scott: Founder and CEO, Kendra Scott
Robert F. Smith: Founder, Chairman & CEO, Vista Equity Partners
Sam L. Susser: Chairman of BancAffiliated, Inc.
Massey Villarreal: CEO and President, Precision Task Group, Inc.
Kirk Watson: Founding Dean of the University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs
Marc Watts: President, The Friedkin Group
Graham Weston: Former Chairman of Rackspace Hosting Inc.
Sanjiv Yajnik: President of the Financial Services Division, Capital One
For more information about the Governor's Strike Force to Open Texas, visit the strike force webpage.
The Governor's second Executive Order (GA-16) relates to the safe, strategic reopening of select services and activities in Texas. This order establishes a temporary "Retail-To-Go" model that will allow retail outlets in Texas to reopen beginning Friday, April 24. Under this model, reopened establishments are required to deliver items to customer's cars, homes, or other locations to minimize contact.
Under this Executive Order, schools—including public, private, and higher education institutions—will remain closed for the 2019-2020 school year. Teachers may go into the classroom for video instruction, to perform administrative duties, and to clean out their classrooms.
The Governor's third Executive Order (GA-15) relates to hospital capacity and personal protective equipment (PPE) needed for the COVID-19 response. The order loosens restrictions on surgeries put in place by Governor Abbott in March. Beginning at 11:59pm on April 21 through 11:59pm on May 8, all licensed health care professionals and all licensed health care facilities must continue to postpone all surgeries and procedures that are not medically necessary to diagnose or correct a serious medical condition of, or to preserve the life of, a patient who without timely performance of the surgery or procedure would be at risk for serious adverse medical consequences or death as determined by a patient's physician. Exceptions now include:
- Any procedure that, if performed in accordance with the commonly accepted standard of clinical practice, would not deplete the hospital capacity or the PPE needed to cope with COVID-19, or
- Any surgery or procedure performed in a licensed health care facility that has certified in writing to Texas HHSC both (1) that it will reserve at least 25% of its hospital capacity for treatment of COVID-19 patients, accounting for the range of clinical severity of COVID-19 patients, and (2) that it will not request any PPE from any public source—whether federal, state, or local—for the duration of the COVID-19 disaster.
The Governor today also directed state parks to reopen on Monday, April 20 with strict guidelines to reduce transmission of COVID-19—including requiring visitors to wear face coverings, maintain a six-foot distance from individuals outside of their party, and prohibiting the gathering of groups larger than five.
04.24.20 - Joint Statement by SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza and Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin on the Resumption of the Paycheck Protection Program:
Disaster Business Loan Application
Business owners should apply online in the Disaster Loan Application Portal at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela. The electronic loan application will be screened by the SBA processing center when it is received.
Applicaiton Filing Requirements:
- Loan application (SBA Form 5), completed and signed (this is online in the portal)
- Tax Information Authorization (IRS Form 4506-T), completed and signed by each applicant, each principal owning 20 percent or more of the applicant business, each general partner or managing member; and, for any owner who has more than 50 percent ownership in an affiliate business. Affiliates include, but are not limited to, business parents, subsidiaries, and/or other businesses with common ownership or management
- Complete copies, including all schedules, of the most recently filed Federal income tax returns for the applicant business; an explanation if not available
- Personal Financial Statement (SBA Form 413) completed, signed, and dated by the applicant, each principal owning 20 percent or more of the applicant business, and each general partner or managing member *Schedule of Liabilities listing all fixed debts (SBA Form 2202 may be used)
All of these forms are available in the Disaster Loan Application Portal. For program questions or assistance in completing the application online, businesses can contact the SBA Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955.
Please periodically check the SBA website for more information: https://www.sba.gov/disaster
This is where we will update eligible states.
COVID-19 (SBA disaster assistance in Response to Coronavirus: https://www.sba.gov/disaster-assistance/coronavirus-covid-19
Declarations: https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/Declarations/Index
Now that the Texas Disaster Declaration has been made – the SBA encourages all eligible businesses to apply for SBA Disaster Assistance. For more information, visit https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance.
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The Dallas Metropolitan SBDC is assisting small businesses!
The Dallas Metropolitan SBDC is OPEN and still assisting clients and small businesses:
- No cost advising
- Can help answer questions about businesses or SBA loan process
- Go to: http://dallasmetropolitansbdc.com/
- Call: (214) 860-5848
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AssistHer Emergency Relief Grant
Purpose
The purpose of this program is to assist Texas, woman-owned businesses that have been severely impacted by Coronavirus (COVID-19). A total of $1,000,000 (100 grant awards) is available.
Grant Amount: $10,000
Who Can Apply?
Eligible businesses must satisfy all of the following conditions:
- Existing woman-owned businesses (at least 51% directly owned and controlled by one or more women who are U.S. citizens) may apply.
- The business must be a for-profit corporation, partnership, LLP or LLC, or sole proprietorship. Not-for-profit corporations or similar nonprofit entities are not eligible.
- The business must be suffering an economic hardship due to COVID-19.
- If the business or business owner owns the premises from which the business operates, all property taxes must be current.
- All sales, payroll and other taxes must be current.
- Businesses must be located and/or operated within the state of Texas.
- The business, business owner and applicant must not be involved in any pending or current litigation.
- The business, business owner and applicant are operating with all required permits and licenses and are conforming to all required laws.
- The business owner must not have any felonies or conviction of a crime of dishonesty or breach of trust.
- Grant applications will be accepted electronically only, must not exceed five pages, and will be assessed for funding on a rolling basis until available funding is expended. Please combine all materials into a single PDF and submit to smantaro@twu.edu. Any applications with multiple documents and not in PDF format will not be accepted.
- Proof of woman-owned and controlled documentation must show at least 51% ownership and could include any woman-owned certification, sole proprietor/assumed name filings, LLC or LLP documentation, certification of organization, articles of incorporation, partnership agreement or bank signature card. If one document alone doesn't show this, send the corresponding agreement with it.
- All questions must be answered, and all required information and documentation must be included; when submitting an application, the applicant must attach documentation for all expenses (for example: operating costs, proposals from a vendor, quotes or estimates, invoices, etc.). Incomplete applications will be automatically rejected.
As a prerequisite for award eligibility, awardees must view an instructional video on best practices for maintaining grant funds and long-term business sustainability. Award recipients will have an opportunity to engage in one-on-one conversations with a CWE business advisor, if needed.
- Info about eligibility and application process: https://twu.edu/center-women-entrepreneurs/assisther-emergency-relief-grant/?fbclid=IwAR1OGLTSkkziZV7uJTM7Ql-T8SR6lslVomFuT_au2S5HsmwROY4-4-XAfSs
- Email Tracy Irby: tirby@twu.edu
- Call: (940) 898-2894