Pandemic

Census Bureau: COVID-19 TOPx Solutions Virtual Showcase Scheduled for May 25th

This virtual event will showcase digital products created through the COVID-19 TOPx Technology Development Sprint with input from leading government and industry experts. TOPx, modeled on The Opportunity Project (TOP), is an innovation program led by Census Open Innovation Labs at the U.S. Census Bureau. Through technology development sprints, TOPx engages government, technology experts and communities to co-create digital products for the public…

SBA: 16,000 Restaurant Revitalization Fund Awards Funded

First wave of approved restaurant applicants to receive vital American Rescue Plan funding just one week after the SBA opened for applications Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration will begin delivering economic relief from the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, established by the American Rescue Plan and signed into law by President Joe Biden, to more than 16,000 approved…

EDA: $6 Million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance Invested to Support Business Capital and Resiliency Efforts in New York

Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding $6 million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance grants to provide critical gap financing and technical support to New York businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. “President Biden is committed to unleashing the full power of the federal government…

EDA: $3 Million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance Invested to Support Business Growth in Industrial Park in Holdrege, NE

Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $3 million CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to the city of Holdrege, Nebraska, to construct water, sewer, and street improvements to support business development at the Iron Horse Industrial Park. This EDA grant, to be matched with…

EDA: $1.5 Million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance Invested to Establish Revolving Loan Fund to Assist Small Businesses in WV

Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $1.5 million CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to Natural Capital Investment Fund, Inc., Charles Town, West Virginia, to capitalize and administer a Revolving Loan Fund that will provide critical gap financing to small businesses throughout West Virginia….

EDA: $525,000 in CARES Act Recovery Assistance Invested to Support Business Expansion and Growth Efforts in Hampton, SC

Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $525,000 CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to Lowcountry Regional Water System, Hampton, South Carolina, to update and improve the wastewater sewer system to support business expansion and attraction plans and bolster the region’s ability to withstand future economic disruptions. This EDA grant,…

Census Bureau: Household Pulse Survey Phase 3.1 Biweekly Data Released

The U.S. Census Bureau today released new data from phase 3.1 of the experimental Household Pulse Survey. Phase 3.1 includes substantial revisions to the questionnaire. Additional questions address the following new topics: disability, child health access, telehealth and child care. Also included are demographic questions to identify service members and military spouses, and questions to classify respondents employed…

HUD: HHS and HUD Announce Joint Effort to Increase Access to COVID-19 Vaccinations

U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia L. Fudge and U.S. Health and Human Service (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra today announced a joint-agency effort to increase access to COVID-19 prevention and treatment services, including testing and vaccinations, among disproportionately affected communities, including among HUD-assisted households and people experiencing homelessness. This effort will leverage the…

SBA: Initial Results of Restaurant Revitialization Fund Announced

The SBA receives 186K applications; More than half of applications are from priority underserved business communities Today Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman announced the initial results of the successful May 3rd launch of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, showing more than 186,000 applications from restaurants and other food and beverage businesses in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and…

CFPB: Reports Issued Detailing Mortgage Borrowers Continuing COVID-19 Challenges

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released two reports today showing that more work needs to be done to help mortgage borrowers coping with the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn. The first report documents that Black and Hispanic mortgage borrowers are much more likely to be delinquent or in a forbearance program than white borrowers….