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MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a National Day of Service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities. During the last quarter-century, the MLK Day of Service has grown, and its impact increased as more Americans embrace the idea that citizenship involves taking an active role in improving communities. Find a Volunteer Opportunity here.
 SBA Offers Disaster Assistance to California Businesses and Residents Affected by the Earthquake in Humboldt County
SACRAMENTO, CA – Low-interest federal disaster loans are available to California businesses and residents affected by the earthquake in Humboldt County that occurred December 20, 2022. The disaster declaration makes SBA federal disaster loans available in Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Siskiyou and Trinity counties.
Businesses of all sizes and private nonprofit organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other business assets. SBA can also lend additional funds to businesses and homeowners to help with the cost of improvements to protect, prevent or minimize the same type of disaster damage from occurring in the future.
Beginning Monday, January 9, SBA customer service representatives are available at the following Disaster Loan Outreach Center to answer questions about the disaster loan program, explain the application process and help individuals complete their application. The center will be open on the days and times indicated below. No appointment is necessary.
Disaster Loan Outreach Center
Rohner Recreation Hall
7 Park Street
Fortuna, CA 95540
Open 8:00 a.m. Monday, Jan. 9 through 4:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27
Mondays – Fridays, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. PT
Closed Monday, January 16 for Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
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For small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations of any size, SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. Economic injury assistance is available regardless of whether the business suffered any property damage.
Disaster loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property.
Applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information and download applications at https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
The deadline to apply for property damage is March 6, 2023. The deadline to apply for economic injury is October 4, 2023. Learn more
It’s difficult to understate all the changes the business landscape has seen in the past few years, and yet entrepreneurs have responded with incredible adaptability.
Plenty of challenges and opportunities lie ahead, both in day-to-day operations and in the long-term. It’s impossible to predict exactly what will happen this year. However, having well-informed expectations can help you stay ahead of the curve. Here are the trends the SBA is monitoring in 2023. Learn more
New Veteran Small Business Certification (VetCert) program
SBA’s new Veteran Small Business Certification program transferred the certification function from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to SBA as of January 1, 2023. Certification with SBA allows service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs) to compete for federal sole-source and set-aside contracts across the federal government. Learn more
MBDA Capital Readiness Program Grant Competition
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Program will provide funding to incubators, accelerators, and other eligible organizations across the country with expertise to support underserved entrepreneurs by providing training and other critical resources, tools, and technical assistance to access capital. MBDA plans to fund proposals for up to $3 million over four years per grantee. Deadline to apply is February 28th, 2023. Learn more
 Small Business Training Events
SBA and its resource partners – SCORE, Small Business Development Centers, Women’s Business Centers, and Veterans Business Outreach Center – continually offer training and educational programs. Below is a sample of events and the full calendar of training programs and webinars is found at San Francisco District Upcoming Events link below.
Employment Law Update for 2023 Tax Year (01/18 at 10:30AM)
Lessons from the Pandemic (01/18 at 12PM)
Become a Wildland Firefighting Vendor: Forest Service and Calfire (01/19 at 10AM)
Writing a Compelling Business Plan (01/19 at 1PM)
Numbers Don’t Lie! Use Them to Increase Sales and Profitability (01/20 at 10AM)
SBA & Better Business Bureau: Identify and Stop Cyber Attacks for Your Small Business (01/25 at 10AM)
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