City of San Jose: New Video Resource for Entrepreneurs
Do you have questions about accessing capital to support your business during this time of crisis and beyond? Check out this video produced by the City of San Jose—featuring Working Solutions CEO Sara Razavi and Mayra Contreras from Opportunity Fund—to get helpful advice and resources available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
$1 Million in Small Business Grants Disbursed in Oakland
In partnership with the City of Oakland, Working Solutions has deployed $1,000,000 to make emergency relief grants to 185 local small business owners. Our thanks to the Oakland COVID-19 Relief Fund, Union Bank, and many generous individual donors for making the Oakland Small Business Emergency Grant Program possible.
Announcing the Albany Business Relief Fund
Working Solutions is partnering with local brewery Ocean View Brew Works to administer the Albany Business Relief Fund, which will award grants of $1,000 to selected small businesses in Albany that have been impacted by COVID-19. Grants may be used to cover day-to-day operating expenses, such as worker payroll, rent, PPE gear, and fixed debts. Learn more here.
Advocating Statewide for Small Business Owners
Working Solutions is proud to advocate at the local, state, and national level for policies and programs that support small business owners. At the statewide level, Working Solutions joined the California Reinvestment Coalition and other small business advocates in urging our state officials to invest additional funding to help small businesses survive the COVID-19 crisis. Read more about our statewide advocacy efforts in support of our small business community.
Virtual Small Business Week in San Francisco and Oakland
Small Business Week has moved online in order to provide local entrepreneurs with support and resources amid COVID-19. Join Working Solutions for virtual Small Business Week activities in San Francisco and Oakland from June 22 to 26! All week long, you can access free opportunities to learn, engage, and network. Read on to see the schedules of events and find out how to register.
We stand in solidarity. Support Black-owned businesses.
Working Solutions stands in solidarity with all those fighting for racial justice and equity. We are committed to supporting Black entrepreneurs and communities through our core work by deploying 60% of our capital to communities of color and 20% to Black-owned businesses each year. You can help by directing your purchases to make a difference. Read on for resources available to support Black-owned businesses near you.
Update to Our Community: COVID-19 Response
Working Solutions remains deeply committed to supporting our small business community as the COVID-19 crisis evolves. Since March, we have supported more than 400 clients in our active portfolio; deployed $500,000 in emergency grant funds (with more in progress); advocated for recovery products at state and national levels; and continued lending during the peak of the crisis while also launching our own recovery loan product. In the coming weeks and months, we will continue to implement our multi-phased response in support of our small business community.
Now More Than Ever, We Must Keep CDFIs Strong
Thanks to everyone who supported our work in honor of #GivingTuesdayNow! Working Solutions is proud to be a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) dedicated to serving marginalized entrepreneurs in the Bay Area who often have limited access to capital. In the face of the COVID-19 crisis, CDFIs will continue to be economic first responders for communities hardest hit by this crisis. Now more than ever, we must #KeepCDFIsStrong.
Giving Tuesday Now: Support Your Small Business Community
Join Working Solutions as an economic first responder in supporting extremely low-income small business owners on #GivingTuesdayNow. Your contribution to the Oakland Small Business Emergency Grant Program helps Oakland’s most vulnerable small businesses cover expenses such as rent and payroll to weather the COVID-19 crisis. Please join us by donating today.
Oakland Small Business Emergency Grants Disbursed
The City of Oakland and Working Solutions have announced the disbursement of 90 emergency grants to extremely low-income small business owners in Oakland to help them weather the COVID-19 crisis. Demand was overwhelming, and more funding is needed to provide additional grants to Oakland’s most vulnerable businesses. To donate to the Oakland Small Business Emergency Grant Program, please visit www.workingsolutions.org/donate.
Sara Razavi Interviewed on KCBS Radio's "Ask An Expert" Program
On April 21, 2020, Working Solutions CEO Sara Razavi was interviewed on KCBS Radio’s “Ask An Expert” program about resources and options available to small business owners during the COVID-19 crisis. Listen to the interview here. (Image credit: KCBS Radio)
Message to Our Community: COVID-19 Response
As we navigate the COVID-19 crisis together, Working Solutions continues to respond to the needs of our small business community. We recognize that this crisis will require multiple phases of response—immediate, near-term, and long-term—and we will be here for our community both now and in the coming months as we continue to feel the effects and see the ramifications of this crisis. We are committed to utilizing all of the tools at our disposal to support our local, small businesses.