Mar 20, 2020

Wamego Chamber of Commerce offers information assistance

Posted Mar 20, 2020 11:46 AM

Once Kansas is declared an eligible disaster area, businesses can apply online for disaster loan assistance utilizing the site above. These are the existing programs, same as would be applied to areas impacted by hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, etc.

The process for making a declaration is dependent on the request from the governor. The SBA has begun declaring disasters in states that have submitted requests and has been in contact with all governors across the United States.The steps to the process are:. The governor requests disaster declaration by certifying that at least 5 small businesses have sustained economic   impact through submission of a worksheet on each business.  - the Kansas Department of Commerce, among other entities, has been collecting these worksheets and forwarding     to the Kansas Department of Emergency Management  - Worksheet link  - Worksheet submission directions

The SBA approves the request, typically within 24 hours. You can search for your state here at the Presidential and   SBA Agency Declared Disasters web page.. Once a declaration is made for designated areas within a state, businesses can apply for Economic Injury Disaster   Loan assistance. The process, terms, and interest rate is described on the SBA website as:. The loans offer up to $2 million in assistance to small businesses to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue.. The funds may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can't be paid because of th   disaster's impact.

The interest rate is 3.75% for small businesses. The interest rate for non-profits is 2.75%.. The loans offer long-term repayments up to a maximum of 30 years. Terms are determined on a case-by-case basis,  based upon each borrower's ability to repay.. There is an automatic 1 year deferment on repayments; interest will begin accruing when the disbursement is made.