SWAMC staff is actively engaged in conversations with other ARDORs, the Alaska Small Business Development Center, Alaska Municipal League, and other State and Federal agency representatives to sift through and understand the many resources available for businesses, municipalities, tribes, and individuals who are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. SWAMC staff doesn’t claim to be experts on these programs, but we will do our best to help in any way that we can.
The Economic Development Administration (EDA) and other federal agencies recently received a lot of funding from the American Rescue Plan Act for programs to help businesses, municipalities, tribes, and others to recover from the economic impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Here are links to a few of the most prominent programs:
SWAMC staff has been busy poring over grant language to understand eligibility requirements, allowable use of funds, and deadlines to prepare ourselves to help stakeholders in our region access these funds. We have also brought Keri Scaggs back on as a contractor to provide on-call one-on-one assistance to city, borough, tribal, and business representatives seeking to apply to these programs.
Have questions about whether your project is eligible for a grant? Need help understanding confusing grant language? Don’t even know where to start? Give Keri a call at (907) 242-4077 or email her at ARPA@swamc.org.
The Alaska SBDC operates out of the UAA Business Enterprise Institute and they provide business guidance, services, and resources to Alaskan small businesses and entrepreneurs. Alaska SBDC is staffed by certified business advisors across the state and their services are free.
The Alaska Municipal League is a statewide organization of 165 cities, boroughs, and unified municipalities with a mission to represent Alaska’s local governments in state and federal decision making and provide training and services to strengthen Alaska’s local governments. Their Coronavirus resource page is tailored to the needs of cities and boroughs who are tasked with ensuring the health and safety of their residents.
This page includes health mandates issued by Governor Mike Dunleavy, DHSS Commissioner Adam Crum, and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink; more information about Gov. Dunleavy’s 6-Point Economic Stabilization Plan; and information for Alaskans about unemployment insurance, small business assistance, homeowner information, and Federal government resources.