Service Update and Resources: COVID-19

Check back daily for updates on our services and community resources for entrepreneurs with limited resources.
Last updated: 1:00pm on May 29th

Office Closure and How to Get in Touch

Please note that the Ventures office in the 2100 Building will be closed until further notice, but our team will be working remotely and will be available via phone and email. If you have a general question and need to get in touch with us, please contact us at programs@venturesnonprofit.org or 206-352-1945.

Resources for Your Business

  • GoFundMe has created a matching fund for small business owners. Business owners are eligible for $500 in matching funds after raising $500. More information here.
  • Kiva has expanded eligibility for their 0% interest loans up to $15,000. More information available here.
  • The Seattle Sounders are offering up to $7,500 in relief for small businesses. Apply here.
  • LISC’s Rapid Relief & Recovery Fund programs to help business with immediate financial impact is now open. Grants are $5,000, $7,500 and $10,000. Click here to apply.
  • The Doonie Fund is making micro-investments in Black female entrepreneurs. Learn more and apply here.
  • FedEx is offering $5,000 grants for small businesses. Learn more and apply here by June 12th.
  • Feeling the cash crunch? Founder of Success Beyond Luck (and Ventures volunteer business coach!) Brad Krueger is offering a webinar on Friday, June 12th on how to how to improve cash flow management during these difficult times. Ventures graduates can access this content for free through our reciprocal partnership with the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.
  • SNOHOMISH COUNTY: The cities of Everett and Marysville have small business grants available in Washington State. Apply here for Everett and here for Marysville.
  • Communities Rise has launched a new Covid-19 Small Business and Nonprofit Legal Clinic. Small businesses and nonprofits will get to meet with a lawyer for a free 60-minute legal consultation by phone or video conference (client preference). Fill out this form to get started. They also have a Lease Amendment Toolkit if you’re looking for help with your commercial lease.
  • Find out if your business is considered “essential” with these guidelines from Washington State. If you fit, you can register your business here to make sure that you are allowed to continue operating.

Resources for Personal Finances

  • Beginning Friday, April 17, some Washington residents can apply through the Department of Social and Health Services for emergency cash assistance to help meet their immediate needs. Learn more here and please reach out to the Ventures team with any questions.
  • HKM Employment Attorneys has a resource page with FAQs about available government resources and is offering pro-bono assistance for employees on this page as well.
  • Starting April 7th, HSBC will host weekly one hour virtual Your Money Counts (YMC) Financial Literacy Workshops on Tuesdays at 4pm PST and Thursdays at 11am PST on budgeting, managing your credit, preventing identity theft, and more. Join here at those times (Meeting ID 852 831 5360).
  • The Seattle Mutual Aid Solidarity Network is offering donations of food and other supplies with priority given to individuals who are sick, disabled, quarantined without pay, elderly, undocumented, queer, Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color — including those displaced from Seattle to the nearby areas.

Self-care and Mental Health Resources

  • Erika Murcia and Annie Von Essen are offering a free online on “Centering in Times of Uncertainty.” They are hosting space for people to come together virtually, pause, and offer ideas & support for finding calm in this time of uncertainty. They will offer a few breathing and centering practices and make space to discuss different ways we are each adapting in this time of heightened stress. This is a recurring meeting on Thursdays at 2pm PST.
  • Brown and Brown Insurance has a “benefits hub” offering discounts on health and behavioral health services, learning resources, food and food delivery services, and more. Access the hub here.

Ventures Service Updates

TRAINING  

All Ventures courses scheduled to date will now be offered remotely online with an option to join via computer or phone. This could change based on the situation next month, but we are currently planning for following courses to be offered online. All registered participants will receive instructions on how to participate before the course. Interested in signing up for one of the courses? Please click here. 

We will continue to monitor the situation and communicate with everyone if plans change before each course. 

COACHING 

All coaching meetings will now be conducted remotely only via phone, video chat, or email. As always, meetings with Ventures coaches are FREE and UNLIMITED. Schedule a meeting with a business coach below. 

CAPITAL  

  • Are you a current Ventures loan client with questions about your loan? Please contact Erin Williamson (ewilliamson@venturesnonprofit.org) to learn what support is available to you during the COVID-19 outbreak.

INCUBATION 

  • Retail store: the Ventures Marketplace will be closed to the public until further notice, but we have launched the Ventures Marketplace Online! Please reach out to Betsy Earl with your questions or issues. Bearl@venturesnonprofit.org  
  • Commercial kitchen: New kitchen sign-ups have been put on hold until further notice. We will continue to monitor the situation and update clients on when this service will become available again.

As COVID-19 is an evolving situation, we will be in communication if there are any other changes to our services.