economic recovery resources for Businesses

The City of North Bend recognizes the hardships our local businesses and non-profit organizations have faced during the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. As such, the City strives to offer resources to assist businesses in recovery.  

This page provides guidance and resources for employers, non-profits and business owners.

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Business Resources

Protecting Your Business

Grants & programs

  • Small Business Flex Fund: Small businesses and nonprofits in Washington can apply for low interest loans of up to $150,000. The Fund is a public-private partnership aimed at helping small businesses and nonprofits – particularly those in low-income communities – recover and grow as communities across the state reopen for business.
  • Shuttered Venue Operator's Grant - Supplemental Awards: SBA will begin sending invitations for supplemental awards for the SVOG program. Supplemental awards are to be provided to those who received an initial grant and have illustrated a 70% loss when comparing 2021’s first-quarter revenues to the same in 2019. Supplemental award applicants can choose to apply for any amount up to 50% of their original SVOG amount, with a $10 million cap of the initial and supplemental awards combined, according to the law. The supplemental awards also allow SVOG recipients to extend the time to use their grant funds for expenses accrued through June 30, 2022 and lengthen their budget period to 18 months from the initial grant’s disbursement date.
  • New Small Business Paycheck Protection Program: The portal allows a business with a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan of $150,000 or less to submit a simple forgiveness application directly to SBA, as long as his or her specific lender participates in the portal.
  • Free Tax And Accounting Advice: From OneEastside SPARK is offering free, one-on-one tax and accounting advising assistance with a Clark Nuber CPA. To schedule, contact Samantha Paxton at samanthap@oneeastside.org or (425) 885-4014 ext. 5.
  • Small Business Tax Credit Programs: Did you know that the American Rescue Plan extends a number of critical tax benefits, particularly the Employee Retention Credit and Paid Leave Credit, to small businesses?
  • Women's Business Center: 
  • Day of Caring Legal Clinic (Communities Rise): Free legal consultations, courtesy of Communities Rise, on September 23, 2021, 3:00 to 7:45 p.m. 
  • Register for the National Small Business Week Virtual Summit: Free event September 13 to 15, 2021, with opportunities to learn new business strategies, meet other business owners and chat with industry experts. Includes educational webinars, updates on resources and a networking chat room for business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs. Register here.
  • 2021 Washington Small Business Fair: Free event October 12, 7:00 to 5:00 p.m. This free, annual virtual business fair provides many opportunities to current and aspiring small business owners, such as a series of 45 educational sessions and workshops to choose from, a resource center with information from government and non-profit organizations and a digital marketplace with products and services for your business.
  • Early Learning Facilities Program:  Commerce received a new appropriation in the 2021-23 capital budget for grants to create or expand early learning facilities across the state. Learn more here. Through the Early Learning Facilities (ELF) Program, we will award projects in the following categories: 
    • Major Construction / Renovation (maximum award $1 million)
    • Minor Renovation / Predevelopment (maximum award $200,000)
    • Pre-Design (maximum award $20,000)

MUSEUM GRANTS

  • Museums For America - Deadline: Nov. 15, 2021; The Museums for America program supports museums of all sizes and disciplines to undertake projects that strengthen their ability to serve their public. Project activities may include exhibitions, educational or interpretive programs, digital learning resources, professional development,
    community debate and dialogue, audience-focused studies, and/or collections management, curation, care, and conservation. Museums for America has three project categories: Lifelong Learning, Community Engagement, Collections Stewardship and Access. For more information, click here.
  • Inspire! Grants For Small Museums - Deadline: Nov. 15, 2021; Inspire! Grants for Small Museums is a special initiative of the Museums for America program. It is designed to support small museums of all disciplines in project-based efforts to serve the public through exhibitions, educational/interpretive programs, digital learning resources, professional development, community debate and dialogue, audience-focused studies, and/or collections management, curation, care, and conservation. Inspire! has three project categories: Lifelong Learning, Community Engagement, Collections Stewardship and Access. For more information, click here.
  • Museums Empowered - Deadline: Nov. 15, 2021; Museums Empowered: Professional Development Opportunities for Museum Staff is a special initiative of the Museums for America grant program. It is designed to support projects that use the transformative power of professional development and training to generate systemic change within museums of all types and sizes. For more information, click here. Museums Empowered has four project categories:
     · Digital Technology: Provide museum staff with the skills to integrate digital technology into museum operations.
     · Diversity and Inclusion: Support museum staff in providing inclusive services to people of diverse geographic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds and to individuals with disabilities.
     · Evaluation: Strengthen the ability of museum staff to use evaluation as a tool to shape museum programs and improve outcomes.
     · Organizational Management: Strengthen and support museum staff as the essential part of a resilient organizational culture.
  • National Leadership Grants For Museums - Deadline: Nov. 15, 2021; National Leadership Grants for Museums support projects that address critical needs of the museum field and that have potential to advance practice in the profession to strengthen museum services for the American public. For more information, click here.
  • Museum Grants For African American History & Culture - Deadline: Nov. 15, 2021; The Museum Grants for African American History and Culture program (AAHC program) is designed to build the capacity of African American museums and support the growth and development of museum professionals at African American Museums. For more information, click here.
  • Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services Program - Deadline: Nov. 15, 2021; The goal of the Native American/ Native Hawaiian Museum Services (NANH) grant program is to support Indian tribes and organizations that primarily serve and represent Native Hawaiians in sustaining heritage, culture, and knowledge through exhibitions, educational services and programming, workforce professional development, organizational capacity building, and collection stewardship. For more information, click here. 

MORE ARPA GRANTS

  • Statewide Planning Research & Networks – Deadline: Advised to submit by Oct. 31, 2021; Subject to the availability of funds, awards made under this NOFO will help develop coordinated state-wide plans for economic development and data, tools, and institutional capacity to evaluate and scale evidence-based economic development efforts, including through communities of practice and provision of technical assistance among existing and new EDA grantees. For more information, click here.
  • Travel, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation - Deadline: Advised to submit by Jan. 31, 2022; Subject to the availability of funds, awards made under this NOFO will help communities and regions devise and implement sustainable economic recovery strategies through a variety of non-construction and construction projects to respond to damage to the travel, tourism, and outdoor recreation sectors from the coronavirus pandemic and to promote the economic resilience of regions dependent on those industries. For more information, click here.
  • Indigenous Communities - Deadline: Advised to submit by Mar.31, 2022; Subject to the availability of funds, awards made under this NOFO will help indigenous communities devise and implement long-term economic recovery strategies through a variety of non-construction and construction projects, as appropriate, to assist communities impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. For more information, click here.
  • Economic Adjustment Assistance - Deadline: Advised to submit by Mar.31, 2022; Subject to the availability of funds, awards made under this NOFO will help communities and regions devise and implement long-term economic recovery strategies through a variety of non-construction and construction projects to assist communities and regions impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. For more information, click here.
  • Good Jobs Challenge – Deadline: Jan. 26, 2022; Subject to the availability of funds, EDA is issuing this NOFO for qualified organizations to form sectoral partnerships. These partnerships will work collaboratively to grow regional economies and their associated workforces by building training programs that meet the existing and emerging skills needs of employers and that help workers enter quality jobs and advance along their chosen career path. Although not required, EDA encourages efforts to reach historically underserved populations and areas, communities of color, women, and other groups facing with labor market barriers such as persons with disabilities, disconnected youth, individuals in recovery, individuals with past criminal records including justice-impacted and reentry participants, serving trainees participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and veterans and military spouses. For more information, click here.
  • Build Back Better Regional Challenge - Deadline: Phase 1-Oct. 19, 2021; Phase 2-Mar. 15, 2022; Subject to the availability of funds, awards made under this NOFO will transform regional economies through a collection of complementary, aligned construction and non-construction projects organized under a singular vision and designed to grow new industries and scale existing ones. For more information, click here.


Growing Your Business

  • StartUp Washington - Washington State Department of Commerce 
  • SCORE Greater Seattle: Small business consulting
  • OneEastside SPARK: Consulting, programming and tools to address areas of need amongst businesses and non-profits
  • SnoValleyJobs.com: Access for local business to connect with potential applicants! If you are a member of the SnoValley Chamber of Commerce, conduct business in the City of North Bend or Snoqualmie, you are eligible to post your business' position for hire.  
  • SnoValley Chamber of Commerce: A regional Chamber that connects the business community with elected officials at the state, regional and local level to ensure voices are heard and needs met. The Chamber unites members who believe in creating as vibrant local business community. Not a member? Click here to learn how to join. 
  • The North Bend Downtown Foundation: The NBDF actively builds community, supports economic development and champions downtown revitalization. Not a member? Click here to learn how to join.

Resources for Workers

Additional Resources

  • Coronavirus Resource Guide - Industry Resource from wahospitality.org: A variety of business resources, with a focus on the hospitality industry
  • Federal COVID-19  Resources: State, local, and federal agencies are working together to maintain the safety, security, and health of the American people. Check out coronavirus.gov for updates. Go to cdc.gov for detailed information about COVID-19 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Visit covid-sb.org, the official federal resource website for U.S. small businesses affected by COVID-19.

City of North Bend Utility Customers
City of North Bend will not disconnect customers during the COVID-19 pandemic and is waiving late fees and penalties on past due utility accounts. You can access your account by clicking on the Pay Utilities icon or click here.