SBDC director, Kelly Bearden will discuss recent sole proprietorship changes to the Paycheck Protection Program and strategies to locate and serve newly eligible businesses that may have previously been denied. Kelly will be joined by Circe Davalos Cox, lead SBDC consultant who specializes in finance and business, to talk about the challenges and successes she sees working the front lines with local businesses as they navigate the pandemic. Other webinar topics will include increased money for the Economic Injury Disaster Loans, the $1.5 billion available in round five of the California Relief Grant Program, the new Bakersfield ReStart Loan-to-Grant Program, extension of the Employee Retention Tax Credit and more. Topics include:

✔Paycheck Protection Program changes

✔Targeting newly eligible small businesses for PPP

✔A look at challenges & successes of local businesses

✔$1.5 billion California Relief Grant - round five

✔Targeted EIDL Advance

✔Employee Retention Tax Credit extension

✔City of Bakersfield ReStart Loan-to-Grant Program

✔Shuttered Venues Operator Grant program - opens April 8

✔Plus, time to ask your questions!

This is the 55th in the weekly “Webinar Wednesday” series that provides pandemic relief updates on available federal, state, and local funding options, tax credit programs, employee programs, and other opportunities helpful to employers and business owners.

The SBDC is open for free one-on-one consulting to help small business owners with the Targeted EIDL Advance, PPP, California Relief Grant and other government pandemic assistance programs. New and existing businesses can go to www.csubsbdc.com for more information or to sign up for assistance in Kern, Inyo and Mono counties.