Commerce announced $5 million small business emergency response grant

Washington Commerce announced the small business emergency grant providing $5 million in state funding from the Governor’s economic development strategic reserve fund to our state’s smallest businesses. Demand for these $10,000 grants has been overwhelming with over 10,000 applications submitted. Learn more

Broadband can be the great equalizer

The coronavirus crisis puts on full display gaps in our nation's broadband infrastructure that put millions of people in rural communities at risk – including tens of thousands in Washington state. This week, the state's members of Congress were asked to immediately direct funds and leverage partnerships to rapidly develop and deploy this critical, missing communications infrastructure. Read the letter

Tribal and state partnership

Earlier in the week, Commerce announced that Washington’s 29 Tribal Governments can access $5 million in emergency funding to support their own efforts to meet basic needs in response to the coronavirus crisis. Learn more

Highlighting manufacturers, local partners stepping up

Earlier this week, WA Commerce Director Lisa Brown spoke with Kip Hill of the Spokesman-Review on NW Passages about emergency response efforts underway with many incredible community partners – highlighting the impact on small businesses, efforts for local manufacturers to produce personal protective equipment (PPE), the creation of emergency facilities for isolation and quarantine, and other assistance to communities. Watch at NW Passages

Centralized source of information: www.coronavirus.wa.gov

Commerce continues to work closely with many agency partners to maintain a section for information and resources for Businesses & Workers on the statewide portal. Find those Business & Worker resources here.